BTS V has reached an impressive milestone with his solo track 'FRI(END)S,' which has now surpassed 320 million streams on Spotify, proving its massive global appeal.

Released on March 15 while V was serving in the military, 'FRI(END)S' hit 320 million streams on Spotify by August 29 (Korean time), marking a significant achievement for the song.

The track set records as the most-streamed K-pop solo song on Spotify for the first half of 2024 and ranked among the top 10 K-pop solo songs with the longest chart run on global Spotify charts.

This shows V's strong global popularity. Overall, V's total streams on Spotify have exceeded 3.4 billion, highlighting his global presence even during his military service.

Upon its release, 'FRI(END)S' debuted at number 65 on the US Billboard Hot 100, number 5 on the Global 200, and number 3 on the Billboard Global (excluding the US) chart. It also entered the UK Official Singles Chart at number 13, staying there for two weeks, and reached number 3 on the Official Big Top 40 in the UK, where it remained for five weeks, making it the longest-charting K-pop song.

'FRI(END)S' was the first song of 2024 to top the iTunes charts in 100 countries and is currently number one in 102 countries on iTunes.

The song's music video also made waves, topping the YouTube World Trend Music section right after its release and staying there for 14 days. On the TIDAL music video chart, it became the first K-pop artist video to hit number one on the US TIDAL Top Video chart and topped the charts in 23 countries.

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Hyun Bin is finally addressing the long-standing "ddongcha" (poop car) theory surrounding his character from My Name is Kim Sam-soon—and he's not holding back!

In an interview on the 19th with Star News, the beloved actor confessed, "I was wrong," responding to the reevaluation of his iconic role as Hyun Jin-heon from the 2005 hit drama. The "ddongcha" theory has been a subject of online debate for years, with many viewers critiquing Hyun Jin-heon’s character as overly arrogant and entitled.

Hyun Bin, who first rose to fame in My Name is Kim Sam-soon, took the time to reflect on the character that made him a household name. He shared, “I was just following the script; there were no personal opinions added to the character of Hyun Jin-heon. At that time, I knew Hyun Jin-heon was portrayed as a ‘bad boy,’ and the way it was expressed was different from today’s standards.”

With My Name is Kim Sam-soon now being re-released as part of Wavve's "New Classic" project, fans are revisiting the 2005 drama, and the character of Hyun Jin-heon is under fresh scrutiny. Director Kim Yun-cheol even admitted that the "prince on a white horse" and "bad boy" tropes that once worked in 2005 don’t quite match today's sensibilities, leading to edits in the 2024 version.

Hyun Bin humbly acknowledged his gratitude for his successful career and hit works, saying, "It’s wonderful and I am grateful to have so many hit works. I’ve been fortunate to work with amazing writers, directors, and actors. Thanks to them, I’ve received a lot of attention and love." He also shared a sense of humility, noting, “But I never know when that luck will come again."

Despite the dramatic shift in perspective on his character, Hyun Bin’s charm and dedication remain strong. Fans are eager to see him in his upcoming film Harbin (directed by Woo Min-ho), set to be released on the 24th.

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