On April 17, 2024, traditional alcohol teacher Park Rokdam shared an update about BTS' Kim Seokjin, aka Jin, preparing traditional alcohol in his military uniform.
Park Rokdam shared a post on his Facebook page and stated how fans of the The Astronaut singer have been taking part in traditional alcohol-tasting experiences and sessions being held across Japan, Taiwan, and Hong Kong: (as per an auto-translation by Facebook)
"Fans of BTS’ Seok Jin are increasingly participating in experiences of brewing traditional Korean alcohol and tasting events. These events are becoming more frequent in various places such as Japan, Taiwan, and Hong Kong."
He continued:
"Most of the event applications are for the schedules between May and June. The influence of one person is significant. This makes us reconsider the development and status of traditional Korean alcohol.”
Furthermore, the alcohol craftsman also posted a picture of Jin in his military uniform, brewing ingredients for another batch.
The journey of BTS member Kim Seokjin's famous traditional alcohol, Honey Jar of Butterfly
In December 2022, around the time of Jin's enlistment, Park Rokdam posted on Facebook about how he was brewing fresh alcohol and hoped for the Moon singer's safe return from his military service.
Prior to his enlistment, the BTS idol featured in several variety shows, one of which was with South Korean chef Baek Jong-won, titled The Drunken Truth. Here, Jin learned how to produce and brew homemade traditional alcohol, including traditional Korean rice wine.
Park Rokdam also taught the BTS idol the art of making traditional liquor a few days later. This is when Jin came up with his signature Honey Jar of Butterfly.
The BTS idol later gifted those bottles to his close friends from the Korean entertainment industry such as his bandmate j-hope of BTS, South Korean actor Park Seo-ham, chef Lee Yeon-bok, and actor Lee Sang-yeob, among others.
Park Seo-ham even expressed his appreciation for the gift on Instagram.
In addition, j-hope of BTS also thanked his bandmate for the Honey Jar of Butterfly via his Instagram story.
Chef Lee Yeon-bok shared a heartfelt message on receiving the Honey Jar of Butterfly from the BTS singer
On January 11, 2024, Chef Lee Yeon-bok expressed gratitude to the BTS star on his Instagram account for giving him a bottle of his handcrafted liquor, even though the singer only had a small supply. As per a translation by X user @mhereonlyforbts, the chef wrote:
"BTS Jin made this alcohol when he had time. Despite he had limited number of bottles, he’s gifted them to special people around him..and even to me. He’s busy, but he still thought about me too, I am deeply moved..I shared sips of this liquor with people at a special gathering, and they said the liquor tastes deep with apparent slight high alcohol content, everyone really loved it."
He continued:
"Wish there’s bigger volume..Everyone would like to say ‘thank you’ to SeokJin. Thank you, SeokJin ~~the name is so pretty, too. Honey Jar of Butterfly."
The Moon singer is also reportedly working on an intriguing project with South Korean culinary master Baek Jong-won.
In The Drunken Truth, Jong-won had hinted about how crucial it is for a well-known artist such as the Epiphany singer to create traditional alcohol and promote it. Furthermore, the BTS idol previously also shared his intention to enter the alcohol business once he returned from his military enlistment.
The BTS idol and The Astronaut artist is set to come back in June 2024 and celebrate the group's 11th anniversary. Following him, J-Hope will be discharged from the military in October 2024, while the rest of the members will return in mid-2025.