For over a decade in the entertainment industry, the members of BTS in general—and Jimin in particular—have had the opportunity to meet countless well-known figures, forming friendships with many artists, idols, actors, producers, and more. However, as a top K-pop superstar who is quite private about his personal life, Jimin rarely shares details about his friendships with other celebrities. As a result, fans can only piece together these relationships through rare interactions and subtle observations.

Over the years, fans have discovered that Jimin has several celebrity friends outside of BTS, such as Wanna One’s Ha Sungwoon and Hwang Min Hyun, as well as SHINee’s Taemin and EXO’s Kai. Notably, beyond these familiar idol friendships, Jimin also shares a close and long-standing bond with idol-turned-actor Lee Saeon.

Lee Saeon is a familiar face to au∂ιєnces who enjoy кσяєαn dramas and musicals, having appeared in numerous television projects and stage productions. He was a former idol trainee under SM Entertainment and first gained recognition through survival reality shows such as Produce 101 Season 2 and MIXNINE. Today, he focuses primarily on acting and has built a notable portfolio, including works like Devil Inspector Season 2, Light On Me, CEO-dol Mart and Heo’s Dinner, Light on Me, Armored Saurus 1 + 2,...

As for Jimin and Lee Saeon’s friendship, fans only became aware of their closeness through a video filmed by TXT fans at the airport in May this year. At that time, after completing his military service, Jimin returned to Busan with Lee Saeon to visit their families. Even so, the two had never directly spoken about their friendship publicly.

It wasn’t until a recent conversation with fans on the 4th that actor Saeon shared more details about his relationship with Jimin for the first time, revealing that their friendship has lasted for eight years. He said, “We met each other 8 years ago through a friend and became very close. We relied on each other a lot during hard times. We have many things in common,” leaving fans surprised.

In particular, Lee Saeon expressed his astonishment at Jimin’s recent actions when he made a public appearance at his musical premiere. "We're both the type who hate making a scene or showing off, so I was actually pretty ѕнσ¢кed yesterday. He just showed up without even trying to hide his face. he told me he specifically chose not to cover up that day", the actor shared.

Lee Saeon even described Jimin as his “ride-or-∂ιє,” emphasizing, “We’re honestly inseparable. He’s like my ride-or-∂ιє.” He also added that he had originally planned to invite Jimin in May, but the idol’s busy schedule made April 3rd—the opening show—the only possible date.

These heartfelt revelations moved fans deeply. One fan commented, “Whether it’s the friend who invited them to a show without asking for a shout-out, or the friend who showed up without a mask on purpose—that’s a real friendship right there.”

The quiet yet enduring eight-year friendship between Lee Saeon and Jimin continues to inspire admiration and emotional reactions from fans:

- Lovely. I'm glad he has real friends that don't exploit his fame

- I never thought we get to hear about their relationship. I"m so happy Jimin has this kind of strong bond in his life

- That was all I needed to know. Jimin has someone he can trust, lean on, and enjoy spending time with. I don't even need any more information or to see them interact in public, this is enough for me

- I knew Jimin and Se-on is very close even though they won’t show off . But hearing this from one of them нιт different. Happy to see Jimin having a reliable friend

- When he says "We're honestly inseparable. he's like my ride-or-∂ιє." that tells me everything i needed to know

- OMG jimin specially chose not to hide his face cuz he wants to show the world that he's there to support his bestie now i need my jimin too

- Jimin is so private even with revealing his circle of friends that it is rare to hear from one of them.. it’s a sweet glimpse..

- Now we know who Jimin really relies on when he’s having a hard time, and it makes me so happy that he has someone like him to lean on. I truly love their friendship