“So cool to see all the changes and progress” — Fans react BTS’ Jungkook’s unseen photo revealing the evolution of his tattoo sleeve

BTS’ Jungkook made headlines on social media after a restaurant owner shared unseen photos of the Grammy-nominated artist on his Instagram account. Fans were left in awe after an unseen photo of the star revealed the intricate evolution of his full tattoo sleeve.

The Instagram account @gopchang_ssalrong, allegedly owned by a close friend of Jungkook's father, uploaded an old photo of the idol when he started getting his tattoos. In the caption, the owner seemingly hinted at shutting down their business operation on January 15, 2025, and wrote:

"Our Gopchang Salon is going to wrap up its long journey after opening until January 15, 2025. I won't forget that BTS fans from many countries have visited us. Thank you very much."

The BTS idol's love for tattoos became public in 2019 when he was first spotted with hand ink during BTS’ break from group activities. Since then, his tattoo collection has evolved into an elaborate sleeve featuring symbols that hold significant personal meaning.

From the iconic "ARMY" dedication to his birth flower tiger lily, each tattoo represents an aspect of his identity and values, such as “Rather be dead than cool” and BTS’ debut date, "0613." Here is the full list of all the tattoos he owns:

• ARMY tattoo
• J tattoo
• Purple Heart
• The Crown Tattoo
• Woozy face emoticon
• 0613
• The Date he came to Seoul
• Clock tattoo
• Birth Flower - Tiger Lilly
• Chinese Letters: HYYH
• Clouds
• Lightning bolts
• Life motto and the Nirvana song - Rather be dead than cool
• The eye tattoo - remodified with a BTS song We Are Bulletproof
• Three stripes - remodified with a snake tattoo
• Microphone
• Skeleton hand
• 7 - BTS friendship tattoo

The recent unseen photo, shared across social media platforms, gave ARMY a closer look at how Jungkook’s sleeve has developed over the years. Fans quickly took to Twitter, Instagram, and fan forums, marveling at the artistry and detailing of the tattoos. One fan wrote:

"It's so cool to see all the changes and progress of Jungkook's tattoo sleeve between 2019 and 2023!"

Fans were stunned to see an old and unseen picture of the BTS idol when he got his first-ever tattoo.

"& I thought he got all of those tattoos at once," one fan wrote.

"A work of art and each one has a deep meaning for him," another fan said.

"I'm so used to seeing his full sleeve that's it's strange to see the beginning of his journey," another fan remarked.

Others left farewell notes online as the restaurant will close down permanently on January 15, 2025.

"Gopchang restaurant in Busan whose owner is friend with Jungkook’s dad, shared an old picture of Jungkook signing BTS picture for them from 2019 with the message that they are going to wrap up their long journey on 15th January, 2025," one fan noted.

"Im so sad to hear about this. The owners were warm and wonderful. They told me how they all love Jungkook. His signature hangs framed on the wall and the seat he sat on is put away prettily in the corner of the place. No one is allowed to sit on the chair anymore." another fan wrote.

"I thought the owner was his uncle? Food was good and the ahjumma was very helpful even though she doesn’t speak english. It’s so sad they’re closing," one other fan shared.

---

More about BTS' youngest member Jungkook and his solo endeavors

Jungkook released his maiden solo single Seven featuring Latto on July 14, 2024. He performed the song live at Good Morning America's Citi Concert Series in New York City's Central Park.

The track dominated the Billboard Hot 100, staying at No. 1 for seven consecutive weeks, making him the second K-pop soloist after BTS' Jimin to debut at the top of the Hot 100 and the first to maintain a seven-week streak.

On September 29, he dropped his second solo single 3D featuring Jack Harlow, a few days after his 2023 Golden Citizen Festival performance (September 23). Following this, his debut solo album Golden arrived on November 3, 2023, topping charts worldwide. The title track, Standing Next To You, topped both Billboard Global 200 charts, making history.

Previous to his solo success, his contributions to FIFA’s 2022 World Cup anthem, Dreamers, further demonstrated his global influence. He became the first Korean artist to record and perform live for the FIFA 2022 World Cup Anthem.

Jungkook’s solo career earned him major accolades, including:

• 2023 MTV Video Music Award (VMA): Best Song of the Summer for Seven.
• 2023 MTV Europe Music Award (EMA): Best Song for Seven and Best K-Pop.
• 2023 Billboard Music Awards (BBMAs): Top global K-pop song for Seven.
• 2024 Billboard Music Awards (BBMAs): Top global K-pop song for Standing Next To You and Top K-Pop Album for Golden.

---

His solo discography, including Seven, Dreamers, and other tracks from Golden, is available on all major streaming platforms.