"The backbone of BTS" — ARMY reacts to BTS' Jin praising Namjoon as the group leader and inspiring the members in the right direction

On December 7, 2024, BTS' Jin was featured on Japanese idol and TV personality Masaki Aiba's reality show, Since Those Days. The latest episode took Masaki Aiba to Seoul, where Jin welcomed him. They rode the rope cable car together and drove to HYBE where Jin gave Aiba a tour of the building and the dance room where BTS rehearses.

During the HYBE tour, Aiba and the BTS singer went to the building's garden area where Jin talked about BTS leader Kim Namjoon, aka RM, and how the latter had inspired the group in terms of music and more.

"(RM) was the smartest, the best speaker, thoughtful, and inspired by right direction in music, so I don't think there was any disagreement that he should be the leader."

Fans were touched to see Jin appreciating Namjoon and one fan hailed the latter as the "backbone" of the group. The fan wrote:

"Kim Namjoon is really the backbone of BTS"

Fans lauded the group's loyalty towards one another and underscored the members' respect towards Namjoon.

"The LOYALTY. We love to see it. Thank you Jin and thank you Bangtan for seeing RM's value all those years ago," a fan said.

"One thing about BTS.. they genuinely respect Namjoon and what he is to the group," another fan wrote.

"Namjoon is the best leader any group could ever have. He is smart and VERY thoughtful. He is someone who acknowledges the flaws and is willing to work on it for the betterment. No surprise everybody in the group itself admires him so much," another fan added.

Others noted how Namjoon became the group's leader despite being younger than Jin and Suga breaking the norms compared to other K-pop groups.

"Can I say something? Considering their gen idol groups as far as ik only eldest ones were the leaders like there were no other discussions. Undoubtedly namjoon is the BEST LEADER. but Kim Seokjin talking all praise for joonie being leader all the time shows how great hyung he is," one fan noted.

"The loyalty this team has… i just love them man," another fan said.

"They love and respect each other," one other fan added.

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BTS: Achievements on the global stage and record-breaking feats

BTS, the South Korean boy group formed by BigHit Entertainment (now HYBE), debuted in 2013. They made history with six songs reaching No. 1 on the Billboard Hot 100. Their first No. 1, Dynamite, released in 2020, marked a historic moment as the first track by a Korean act to top the chart.

The song spent three weeks at the summit and was followed by additional No. 1 hits, including Savage Love (Laxed – Siren Beat) [Remix], Life Goes On, Butter, Permission to Dance, and their collaboration with Coldplay, My Universe.

The K-pop juggernaut achieved this feat in a record-breaking span of just over a year, becoming the fastest act since The Beatles to achieve six chart-toppers. Additionally, Butter remained at No. 1 for 10 non-consecutive weeks, making it one of the longest-reigning hits of 2021.

The group also dominated the Billboard Music Awards (BBMAs), winning a total of 12 awards as of 2024. Notably, they won the BBMAs Top Social Artist Award six consecutive times from 2017 to 2022. Other wins include BBMAs Top Duo/Group and Top Song Sales Artist.

BTS first won at the MTV Video Music Awards (VMAs) in 2019, securing the award for Best K-pop with Boy With Luv (feat. Halsey). Since then, they have received awards in categories like Best Group, Best Pop, and Song of Summer. They have a total of 10 MTV Video Music Awards (VMAs) wins.

They made significant strides at the Grammy Awards, earning five nominations between 2021 and 2023. They were first nominated in 2021 for the Best Pop Duo/Group Performance with Dynamite, marking the first time a Korean act was recognized in a major Grammy category.

Subsequent nominations included nods for their collaborations, such as My Universe with Coldplay, and their chart-topping hit Butter. Additionally, they were named one of Billboard's Greatest Pop Stars of the 21st Century in 2024, ranking 19th overall. The group has also been involved in campaigns promoting self-love, mental health awareness, and anti-violence through their partnership with UNICEF.

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In other news, the K-pop band took a brief hiatus from their group activities in 2022 to fulfill their respective mandatory military enlistment. Group members Namjoon, Jimin, Taehyung, Suga, and Jungkook will return from the military in June 2025 while Jin and J-hope were discharged from the military in June and October 2024, respectively.