Today (the 4th), BTS unveiled the tracklist for their fifth studio album, “ARIRANG,” through their official SNS channels. The new album consists of a total of 14 tracks. BigHit Music introduced it by saying, "The new album encompasses BTS's identity and the emotions gathered throughout their past journey."

The company also added, "BTS worked on this music in Los Angeles last year, collaborating with star producers including Diplo, Ryan Tedder, and El Guincho."

Among the tracks, the title song “SWIM” is an upbeat Alternative Pop track that conveys a message of perseverance—continuing to move forward amid the waves of life. Rather than resisting the incoming current, the song expresses the will to overcome challenges at one’s own pace through a love for life.

The opening tracks such as “Body to Body,” “Hooligan,” “Aliens,” and “FYA” showcase the group’s ambition to conquer the world and their pαѕѕion for this comeback. Meanwhile, “2.0” and “NORMAL” explore the inner thoughts and present realities of the seven members. The remaining songs, including “Merry Go Round,” “Like Animals,” “they don't know 'bout us,” and “One More Night,” revolve around resilience, confidence, and the desire to live life to the fullest. The album closes on an emotional note with the heartfelt confessions in “Please” and “Into the Sun.”

Notably, this BTS album once again sees the members deeply involved in the production process. Leader RM participated in the entire lyric-writing process for the title track and in most of the songs on the album. Similarly, idol-producers j-hope and SUGA worked tirelessly, while Jungkook also surprised fans by contributing to a large number of tracks.

However, one detail that caught fans’ attention and left them feeling “confused” was that Jin’s name did not appear in any of the album’s song credits. Even V and Jimin—who participated in the production of fewer tracks—were credited on at least three songs. Fans began to question why Jin seemed almost absent from the list.

An unfortunate debate broke out among fans immediately after the tracklist was revealed. Some expressed frustration, feeling that Jin was being treated unfairly, saying: “No credited input from Jin. Can't say I'm surprised but I am disappointed”, “No wonder jin was silent during the gq interview. He was shut out from this project. I'm thankful he took it upon himself to make 2 albums and a tour. The team will continue to silence him if he doesn't do his own work”, “Why do I feel bad or sad reading this. It feels like they did everything without him. He can still achieve heights if he comes out of BTS. It feels like they don't need him”, “It honestly feels crappy that Seokjin didn’t get credited on the album, and it’s completely valid to feel disappointed about that”, …

Meanwhile, some fans pointed out that Jin’s absence from the credits may simply be because while BTS were gathered at their songwriting camp in the U.S., the eldest member was busy completing the remaining dates of his solo tour. In fact, Jin previously mentioned: "While I was away doing my tour, the members finished everything, all. When I arrived, everything was already completed. So I was “wow, you guys are really amazing.”

However, having no credit does not mean he lacks songwriting ability, made no contribution, or is not respected by the group. Jin’s participation in performing songs written by the members is itself part of the album’s production process. Moreover, his songwriting talent has already been proven in the past through tracks such as “Love Is Not Over,” “Spring Day,” “Awake,” “Moon,” and “Epiphany.”

Fans also recalled a recent remark Jin made about the production process of ARIRANG. He gave the highest praise to his fellow members: “This time, our members really made almost all songs well…They were like, they had made several dozen songs, and out of those songs, songs got sorted out and selected again and again, and with good ones.. the album had already been completed. Our members are really cool and geniuses. They are good at everything, there’s nothing they cannot do”.

Jin’s statement helps clarify some of the concerns raised by certain fans and reflects the genuinely harmonious relationship between him and the other members. The pride with which he speaks about his teammates demonstrates absolute trust and a strong sense of camaraderie among them. Rather than viewing this as an omission, it may be seen as a reasonable division of roles to ensure the highest quality for the project amid demanding individual schedules.

Borrowing Suga’s words about the evolution of BTS’s friendship after more than a decade to conclude this matter: in an interview, when asked whether the members compete with one another for personal success, he candidly replied, “Are you competitive with your family members? Do you get jealous if your brother or your sister does well? Laugh We’re real brothers, period. If I do well, that’s good. If my family members do well, that’s even better".

He also emphasized: "If you live for 13 years in one house under the same roof 24/7, you become a family. A lot of people think that the relationships between K-pop band members are kind of fake, but that’s not true. For me, it’s more like, ‘Oh, Jimin, hi! You made it to the Hot 100, I’m so proud of you!'". At this point, BTS’s friendship has grown so strong and profound that there is simply no room for jealousy or petty calculations over individual fame!