On the 20th, BTS made their long-awaited return as a full group after 3 years and 9 months with the release of their fifth studio album, ARIRANG. The K-pop superstars once again affirmed their strong standing by recording 3.98 million copies sold on the very first day. Alongside their comeback, the members also began pouring significant effort into group promotions, most recently through an exclusive interview with Bloomberg and an online discussion on Weverse titled STUDIO NOTES I ‘ARIRANG’.
However, these new contents have sparked discussions about a possible rift in the group’s relationship, with some even making accusations that their bond is fake.
The allegations began to surface following the live broadcast, when BTS members mentioned that Jin was not deeply involved in the songwriting and production process of the album. RM noted that if Jin’s tour schedule had ended earlier, he might have participated more, while Jimin and V expressed regret and explained that overlapping schedules and health concerns made it difficult for him to take part. To some, these comments were interpreted as blaming Jin and hurting him during the live broadcast.
Another point used to support claims of “discord” came from the group’s interview with Bloomberg, where V’s remarks about individual activities were interpreted as an insult or even a threat. Specifically, when asked, “Did the success of any of your solo work make you guys reconsider coming back? Did you think, okay, now I’m just going to go be a solo act?”, V responded, “If anyone was that shameless, I would нιт them.”
The claims that BTS’s closeness over the years was fabricated began to spread more and more widely. However, genuine fans naturally know what the truth is! A past response from SUGA addressing similar accusations is brought back, widely seen as the strongest rebuttal to such doubts.
Specificially, in an interview, the host asked whether the members compete with one another for individual success. SUGA 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 further emphasized that the time they have spent together and the way they have pursued their goals as a team have made them incredibly close. He continued, "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!'"
In a video from the series BTS Monuments: Beyond The Star, SUGA once again affirmed that BTS has gone beyond ordinary friendship and become like a family. He shared, "They're the people I've been with and seen the most in the 30 years of my life. We've really become a family. There's no other words to describe our relationship. We're family."
The recent moments that have been questioned were clearly taken out of context and negatively distorted by a portion of overly reactive fans, while in reality BTS consistently reiterates how much they value one another and their group activities throughout their new content.
For example, in an interview with Zane Lowe on the 20th, when asked about their feelings returning as a full group, Jungkook shared, "Since we’ve always worked as a group more than as soloists, being together feels the most natural." Jin added, "Living and working together with the members in the U.S. for a set period while preparing this album was pure happiness."
Meanwhile, RM once again emphasized the group’s family-like bond: “We’ve been together for half of our lives, like 15 years. That’s a long time—that’s like a family. You know, as we see just each other’s eyes, we just understand, we just get it. ‘You’ve been through hard times, then I’ll do some more, I’ll take care of you.’”
When asked, “Can the group stay together forever?”, the members gave heartfelt answers. SUGA stated, "If we want to, I believe we can stay together even until we are 80 or 90." V shared, "I think we just have to keep trying our best to maintain this for as long as possible." RM concluded, "We've come this far because we love each other so much. There’s no reason to stop. BTS is my youth itself, and I don't want to let go of this opportunity."
Finally, to close the discussion, in the words of Coldplay’s Chris Martin—who has worked closely with BTS and witnessed many of their moments firsthand: “I was really happy that it seemed like they had each other’s backs. They're very tight, personally, and they intertwine well. They don’t tread on each other’s toes too much. There's distinct roles…. The love between them is real. That was the most striking thing—love in a very intense situation.”
