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During a recent broadcast of the table tennis match at the Paris Olympics 2024 on a South Korean channel KBS, the commentators brought up BTS' Taehyung. They noted that the idol had recently used his Instagram stories to cheer for South Korean player Shin Yu-bin.
As Shin Yu-bin played, the commentators discussed Taehyung's gesture of support, despite his current military service. They also mentioned that the table tennis player is known to be an ARMY (a BTS fan).
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Fans of the Love Me Again singer took to social media to show their appreciation for the artist, celebrating his mention during a major event broadcast. Netizens were thrilled to see their idol recognized. One X user, @CalM48403708, reacted by tweeting:
"National treasure."
Other fans shared similar sentiments online:
"oh idol of idols," another fan wrote.
"He's a sweetie! I'm so glad they mentioned him. His support did not go unnoticed by K-netz!" a user commented.
"Kim Taehyung has the biggest heart! You can’t hide his goodness Just like you can’t trap light!" another fan commented.
"The fact we have two ARMY in the Olympics is so cool!!! And I would be willing to bet there are more!!" an X user wrote.
Netizens also extended their well wishes to the table tennis player, offering her support through online messages:
"Does Yubin know that All Bora hearts are cheering for her rn," a fan commented.
"Sending all positive energies to Shin Yubin ,fighting !!" a user wrote.
"I absolutely love this for her!!!!" a fan commented.
BTS' Taehyung mentioned as a shared interest among Olympic table tennis players
It is worth mentioning that one of the commentators on the broadcast, Seo Hyo-won, is a former South Korean table tennis player who competed in the women’s singles event at the 2016 Summer Olympics.
During the commentary, when Shin Yu-bin was described as a fan and it was suggested that Taehyung might be watching the match, Seo Hyo-won jokingly expressed a touch of envy. As per the translations provided by an X user, @KTH_Kcrew, she said:
"Actually, Shin Yubin and I first sympathized with each other because we both liked BTS V. We got close by talking about that a lot."
Seo Hyo-won shared that she and Shin Yu-bin initially connected over their mutual affection for the BTS member and became close by discussing their shared interests. She even humorously introduced herself, imagining that the idol might be tuning into the match.
This mutual admiration between the K-pop idol and the professional table tennis player dates back to the 2020 Tokyo Summer Olympics. At that time, Taehyung had shared an encouraging message on Weverse, an app for idol-fan interactions.
Shin Yu-bin later talked about this in an interview with MBC Sports News. She recalled that upon finding the message, she was so excited she began shaking and quickly messaged her parents, asking them what was happening.
Currently, Taehyung is fulfilling his mandatory military service, which began in December 2023. He is expected to return to the spotlight with his group in 2025 after completing military duties.
