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BTS' V, also known as Taehyung, continues to dominate Instagram, with his latest post surpassing 15 million likes. This achievement makes the vocalist the first and only Asian act to have 43 posts exceeding this milestone, according to social media id @96thv.
On February 23, 2025, BTS' V gave fans a rare glimpse into his military life with a special Instagram update. Sharing a series of previously unseen photos, he marked an important moment in his journey as ‘Sergeant Kim.’
One image featured him confidently holding a bouquet, highlighting his sculpted physique, while another showed him in full military uniform. He was also seen standing beside a snowman and playfully wearing a hat with teddy bear ears. Alongside the photos, the BTS vocalist shared a heartfelt message:
Trending
"Sergeant Kim, I'm here to report my survival! This is D-107. The very scary winter has passed and the warm spring has arrived. Take care of yourself and prepare for it in good health. I'll come see you soon! 🙇🏻♂️"
With this post surpassing 15 million likes, Taehyung also joins global icons Cristiano Ronaldo and Billie Eilish as one of the few celebrities to achieve over 14 million likes on a post in 2025. Fans celebrated his social media influence, with one fan calling him:
"SNS KING THV"
"He is the King 👑" writes another fan.
"OMG 😱 we're already at 15 million likes bwaaaahhhhhhhhhh how many days are we ahhhhhh or 1 week it's so bad we're so strong 😳🤗🫡🫶💚" says one X user.
"The real king of engagement. You don't even have to ask anyone to click. You're amazing." mentions one fan.
"THE POWER HE HOLDS 😭😭🤌! No promotions, no gimmicks—just V being V, and the whole world can’t stop liking his posts!😍🫶🏻 Serving in military for the last two years and still setting records? Taehyung is on another level! SNS KING FOREVER! 🤴 🙌🐻💜" reads a comment on X.
As excitement spreads, ARMYs and admirers flood social media with praise, excitement, and unwavering support for the vocalist.
"he owns that app fr😭😭😭" says one netizen.
"too many people watching him. the nazar will be soo strong. keeping you extra hard in my prayers this ramadan, my beloved 😩" posts an X user.
"Wow, 15 million likes 😱 It's clear that more and more people are fans/addicts to Tae's IG post hahaha 😁" shares this individual on X.
"Kim Taehyung isn’t just a celebrity—he’s a cultural phenomenon! 43 posts with 15M+ likes?! ABSOLUTELY INSANE! 😍😍😍 He sits at the TOP. No competition, just pure impact. The Instagram legend continues! 🫡👑👑" adds this one user on X.
BTS' V's record-breaking Instagram influence and musical achievements amid military service
BTS' V, along with his fellow BTS members RM, Jin, Suga, j-hope, Jimin, and Jungkook, launched personal Instagram accounts on December 6, 2021. Within hours, V set two Guinness World Records.
He became the fastest to reach one million followers in just 43 minutes and he also surpassed 10 million followers in four hours and 52 minutes. His record-breaking achievement surpassed those previously held by Hollywood stars Angelina Jolie, Jennifer Aniston, and Rupert Grint.
As of February 2025, BTS' V’s Instagram account has amassed over 66 million followers. Despite his military enlistment, he continues to hold the highest average engagement among the Top 50 global influencers, averaging 10.9 million likes per post according to the social media id @btskthv1230.
Cristiano Ronaldo ranks second with an average of 6.2 million likes, despite having over 650 million followers.
Even while serving in the military, Kim continues to see significant growth on Instagram. His account has seen a recent surge of 117,000 new followers following his Instagram post on February 23, 2025.
The post gained over 14 million likes within two days. It contributed to his February engagement rate of 16.36%, a rating classified as "excellent" by industry metrics.
On February 26, 2025, BTS' V secured the #5 spot on HypeAuditor’s list of the world’s top influencers, marking the highest ranking for an Asian star. He also leads Instagram’s music category, ranking #1 in the UK and #2 in the US, just behind Selena Gomez.
BTS' V is also the only Korean artist to feature in the UK’s Top 50 most influential musicians. HypeAuditor, the leading influencer analytics platform, evaluates multiple factors such as follower count, engagement quality, audience authenticity, and interaction levels.
On the list, BTS' V emerges as the most influential musician on Instagram in the UK and the second most influential in the US.
While fulfilling his military duties, BTS' V has also remained active in his solo music career. In 2024, he featured in three tracks—Fri(end)s, Winter Ahead, which is a collaboration with Park Hyo-shin. He also released a remix of White Christmas with Bing Crosby.
Fri(end)s peaked at No. 65 on the US Billboard Hot 100 and reached No. 5 on the Global 200 chart. Winter Ahead made history as the first jazz song by a K-pop artist to enter the Billboard Hot 100. His White Christmas remix, released on December 7, 2024, topped both the Worldwide and European iTunes Song Charts, coinciding with the 81st anniversary of the song’s original release in 1942.
Kim Taehyung enlisted for his mandatory military service on December 11, 2023, alongside fellow BTS members RM, Jimin, and Jungkook. After completing his basic training, he was assigned to the Military Police Corps' Special Task Force within the 2nd Corps’ Ssangyong Unit on February 8, 2024.
He is set to complete his service by June 2025, along with the rest of the BTS members. Despite his enlistment, BTS' V’s social media presence and musical influence continue to make waves globally.
