BTS's Jungkook is making history once again! His solo album GOLDEN has become the top-selling K-pop solo album in the U.S. for the second year in a row, solidifying his incredible global popularity.

Released in November 2023, GOLDEN has taken over the U.S. charts, finishing 2024 as the best-selling K-pop solo artist album. According to major global music chart trackers, the album's success shows just how much fans around the world continue to support Jungkook.

In addition to its chart-topping performance, GOLDEN has sold over 1 million copies in the U.S. and earned Platinum certification from the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA), marking a huge milestone in Jungkook's solo career.

GOLDEN also made a groundbreaking debut at No. 2 on the Billboard 200, making Jungkook the first Asian solo artist to achieve this feat. The album stayed on the chart for an impressive 25 weeks, the longest ever for an Asian solo artist, while also charting for 8 weeks on the UK Official Albums Chart's Top 100.

On Billboard’s 2024 Year-End Charts, GOLDEN was ranked No. 80 on the Billboard 200, No. 10 on the Top Album Sales chart, and No. 9 on the Top Current Album Sales chart.

The album also shattered streaming records on Spotify, becoming the first by an Asian solo artist to surpass 4.7 billion streams (pre-filtering). Jungkook’s streaming success has set a new standard for global artists everywhere.

Jungkook’s achievements weren’t just limited to albums and streaming. At the 2024 Billboard Music Awards, he won “Top K-Pop Album” for GOLDEN and “Top Global K-Pop Song” for Standing Next to You, marking his third win at the BBMAs in just two years and making him the most-awarded K-pop solo artist.

At the 2024 iHeartRadio Music Awards, Jungkook was crowned “K-Pop Artist of the Year” and also won “Best Music Video” for Seven. His accomplishments continued to rise, and he made history once again at the 2024 People’s Choice Awards by becoming the first-ever Asian artist to win “The Male Artist of the Year” award.

GOLDEN also shattered sales records in South Korea. The album sold over 2 million copies within just five hours of release, becoming a "Double Million Seller" and setting a new record for the highest first-week sales by a K-pop solo artist. Within two weeks, it sold 2.5 million copies, the first solo album to do so in 13 years since the Hanteo Chart's system change in 2010.

On December 27, Jungkook was awarded the Best K-Pop Record at the 9th Asia Artist Awards (AAA 2024) in Bangkok, even while serving in the military, showing just how far his influence reaches.

Jungkook’s GOLDEN continues to shine, and fans are eager to see what he accomplishes next!

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Actor Song Kang Ho shocked fans by revealing the surprising reason he initially turned down the iconic role in Joint Security Area (JSA).

On February 4, the movie JSA was celebrated as a "Visionary" work at a special GV (Guest Visit) event for CJ ENM’s 30th anniversary at CGV Yongsan I'Park Mall in Seoul. The event was attended by director Park Chan-wook and stars like Song Kang Ho, Lee Byung Hun, Lee Young Ae, Kim Tae Woo, and Ko Kyung Beom, who shared stories from the making of the film.

Joint Security Area, a groundbreaking film by director Park Chan-wook, tells the story of North and South Korean soldiers caught in a tragic incident at the border, highlighting the human side of the divided nations. The film has been widely praised for changing the perception of inter-Korean relations and is seen as a key moment in Korean cinema.

During the event, Song Kang Ho admitted that he turned down the JSA script at first, saying, "The script was just too perfect. It was so well-written and tightly woven that I couldn’t believe it. I thought, ‘Is this really Korean cinema at this level?’ I felt it was too good, and I figured the movie wouldn’t live up to the script."

He also mentioned that at the time, Park Chan-wook’s previous films hadn’t done well, which made him even more doubtful. "But after meeting the director, I started to trust him," Song Kang Ho added.

Reflecting on the film 20 years later, Song Kang Ho joked, "I was flipping through channels and watched JSA again. I thought, ‘There was a time when I wasn’t envious of Lee Byung Hun,’ but he looked so handsome and cool back then." He continued, laughing, "One thing about Park Chan-wook's films is that they have a depth and elegance that you just can’t forget. It’s probably why his new movie is called I Can’t Help It."

Song Kang Ho also spoke fondly of reuniting with his JSA co-stars after 25 years. He shared, "We didn’t watch the film together, but we had a cozy two-hour dinner. After all this time, it felt nostalgic. It was heartwarming to sit together again and reminisce about the past. It really made me realize how meaningful these moments are."

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