“Face of Korea indeed”— Fans react as BTS' Jungkook is highlighted as the example of ‘youngest’ for Oxford Dictionary’s new Korean words

BTS' Jungkook recently made headlines after the Oxford English Dictionary added new Korean words to its vocabulary. As per the Oxford English Dictionary (OED) website dated January 7, seven new words—including "noraebang," "maknae," "jjigae," "tteokbokki," "pansori," "dalgona," and 'hyung,"—were added in a new word update in December 2024.

This update follows a three-year gap since 26 Korean words were earlier added to the Oxford Dictionary in September 2021.

Following this recent word update, the news channel The Daily Report on Arirang News shared a segment about the new additions and referenced Jungkook while discussing the term "maknae," which means the youngest member of a family or group. For those unaware, Jungkook is commonly referred to as ‘maknae’ or ‘golden maknae,’ as he is the youngest member of BTS.

BTS' Jungkook’s fans quickly noticed this mention in the news video and expressed their excitement about the idol’s recognition in relation to the Oxford Dictionary. As a result, they flooded social media with praise for the singer and his latest recognition. One user on X stated:

“Jungkook’s impact is insane like, anything associated with him will always blow up, not only kpop or Music related. Even the food he ate, restaurant he went, random things he used. That’s why he’s always the most mentioned Asian Soloist. The Face of Korea indeed.”

While some emphasized BTS’ Jungkook’s impact, others appeared proud of the SEVEN singer.

“Jungkook is the one and only Golden Maknae the world ever knows. It is his impact,” stated a fan.

“Jungkook’s impact is insane, it’s not just in Music or Social Media but even in some Schools Text Books, Countries Govt Website, Puzzle Games, Tv Shows, Tv series, many more. There’s no other Asian Artist who’s always the reference or more mentioned than Jungkook,” commented an admirer.

“So proud of our Most Impactful Asian Soloist,” wrote another fan.

Some described him as the “face of K-pop,” while others claimed that BTS' Jungkook made the word maknae famous across the world.

“I'm proud of JK AMAZING JUNG KOOK GLOBAL IMPACT JUNGKOOK FACE OF KPOP,” commented a fan.

“Now everytime the word is used readers will remember Jungkook as the one who popularized the term Our One and Only Golden Maknae JUNGKOOK,” stated an admirer.

“"Maknae" always belongs and pertains to jungkook since debut. People know that word bcos of him. He made it famous! He owns that term,” expressed another admirer.

---

BTS' Jungkook became the special honoree for Guinness World Records

In December 2024, BTS' Jungkook was named a "2025 Guinness World Records Honoree." He will be officially recognized in the Guinness World Records' special honored edition. The 3D vocalist will be celebrated in GWR's annual edition in the Music category for his significant contribution as an icon in molding our world.

Most recently, on January 12, Jeon Jungkook's album GOLDEN became the first album by a K-pop soloist to receive more than 5 billion Spotify streams. The BTS member achieved this milestone in just 433 days since the album's release in November 2023.

---

Currently, BTS' Jungkook is completing his mandatory military training after enlisting in December 2023. His military discharge is projected to happen in June 2025.