Nowadays, people talk about Jungkook with the nickname "Golden Maknae" and the perfect role model for young idols. But Jungkook himself was not a star from the beginning but had to go through a training process.
Fortunately, the person who soon realized his potential was... In an interview with YouTube channel OK POP, Son Seung Duk shared for the first time the reason why he asked Bang PD to take Jungkook to the US to train.
After Mr. Son's story, fans completely nodded in agreement with his choice:
Jungkook has attracted attention since participating in the Superstar K audition at the age of 24. Soon after, he was contacted by Big Hit and dozens of other entertainment companies. But in the end, the chance meeting RM helped him decide to join Big Hit Entertainment.
One thing to note is that at that time, Jungkook was not yet an outstanding and complete talent in terms of vocals, dancing, or performance style like he is now. In addition, the formation of BTS was still unfinished and there were many plans for the group's debut that were still being made. In which, Son Seung Deuk mentioned that Bang Si Hyuk wanted teacher Son to focus on BTS's performance.
HYBE’s Performance Director Son added that the idea for the group was hip-hop-based music and in order to fully get that feeling, they thought it was necessary to experience αмєяι¢αn culture. He said, "It was when chairman Bang Si Hyuk considered highly of the importance of performance. Since there was a plan of making hip-hop base music for BTS, the United States comes to mind first in terms of hip-hop. So he said, it’d be really important to experience αмєяι¢α’s hip-hop culture firsthand."
Despite having a huge debt on his shoulders, BTS seems to be Bang PD's last remaining pαѕѕion, so he put a lot of effort, including studying αмєяι¢αn hip hop, into creating Bangtan's music. This led to Bang PD's decision to let Son Seung Deuk go to αмєяι¢α and bring a member of BTS with him. As we know, Mr. Son accompanied Jungkook and experienced life in αмєяι¢α for a month.
When talking about why he chose a young Jungkook over the other members. Mr. Son began his answer by affirming that Jungkook had a lot of potential at a young age, "but he was (at that time) too young to sing or dance perfectly".
Son Seung Deuk still vividly remembers that he realized Jungkook's potential was not fully exploited at that time. And that's why he brought the maknae to αмєяι¢α to be exposed to the music culture here and unleash his inner potential. He also added, "We both went to dance studios together, wearing backpacks on our shoulders. We observed what αмєяι¢αns ate and what the atmosphere was like at the dance studios, etc. Jungkook was so shy back then before he made a debut."
Mr. Son shared, "After that, Jungkook's potential really exploded." He affirmed that, "When he returned to кσяєα, his potential was clearly shown. He had so many talents, so we have even more expectations for him in the future." At that time, both teacher Son, Bang PD, and BTS members had high hopes for Golden Maknae's ability. And indeed, all these years until now, Jungkook has never let them down.
Mr. Son also commented on Jungkook's current dancing sкιℓℓs, saying, "Jungkook has great strength, his movements are sкιℓℓful, and he himself knows how to move. He dances really well. He's very good at adding details to the choreography to make it more attractive. He also has a strong foundation." It was the result of early training that allowed his potential to be fully revealed. Indeed, Song Seung Duk and Bang PD's choice many years ago was absolutely correct.
From Jungkook's successful example, HYBE's managers have applied it to train HYBE's next generation of idols. Son Seung Deuk revealed that TXT's Yeonjun and Taehyun were also sent to the US for training before their debut. He concluded, "Because Jungkook set a successful example at the time, all trainees go to the States for training now."
