BTS's Jungkook has once again proven his global superstar status by receiving a 'Gold' certification in Belgium for his solo track "Seven."

On January 12, Jungkook reached a new milestone as he earned the prestigious 'Gold' certification in Belgium for "Seven," surpassing 20,000 units in sales. He becomes just the second Korean artist, following Psy, to achieve this remarkable feat in Belgium.

But that’s not all! "Seven" has been smashing records worldwide, earning major certifications in various countries and highlighting its massive popularity.

The track was awarded "Double Platinum" certification in the U.S. after selling over 2 million units. It also received "Double Platinum" certification in Canada (160,000 units), "Platinum" certification in New Zealand (30,000 units), and "Platinum" certification in Japan (100 million streams). In the UK, it earned a "Silver" certification for 200,000 units sold.

Additionally, "Seven" went Gold in countries like France, Italy, Spain, and Portugal, showing its dominant performance on a global scale.

The success of "Seven" doesn’t stop there. The song debuted at No. 1 on the Billboard Hot 100 and stayed on the chart for an incredible 15 weeks. It made history by holding the No. 1 position for 9 straight weeks on the Billboard Global (Excl. U.S.) chart and 7 consecutive weeks on the Global 200 chart.

Jungkook made history as the first Asian artist to maintain 7 weeks at No. 1 on both charts simultaneously.

"Seven" also made waves on the UK Official Singles Chart, debuting at No. 3 and staying on the chart for 14 weeks—making it the first song by a K-pop solo artist to do so.

On Spotify, "Seven" made groundbreaking records by quickly reaching milestones like 100 million, 900 million, 1 billion, and 1.1 billion streams (pre-filtered). Jungkook also became the first Asian artist to hit 20.1 billion streams on the platform.

Jungkook broke multiple records with "Seven," including the fastest to reach 1 billion streams (pre-filtered), the most streams in a week by a global male artist (89,748,171 streams, post-filtered), and the fastest to reach 100 million streams (post-filtered). He also earned the title of the artist with the most No. 1 hits (3) on the International Federation of the Phonographic Industry's (IFPI) MENA chart. These achievements led to Jungkook's official recognition in the Guinness World Records.

Jungkook’s “Seven” continues to make history, solidifying his place as a true global sensation.

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The upcoming SBS drama Love Scout, starring Han Ji Min and Lee Jun Hyuk, is already making headlines—but for all the wrong reasons.

Recent revelations about the show’s co-director, Ham Joon Ho, have sparked controversy. It was revealed that Ham Joon Ho had faced legal issues in 2020 for assault and defamation while intoxicated.

This incident led to disciplinary action within SBS and has raised questions about his involvement in the new project.

On January 13, the production team of Love Scout released an official apology, saying, "We deeply regret causing concern with unpleasant news related to PD Ham Joon Ho."

They confirmed the allegations, stating, "It is true that PD Ham Joon Ho was accused of assault and defamation while intoxicated in early 2020. However, he sincerely apologized to all victims, and the matter was resolved through forgiveness and mutual agreement."

They added, "He also received legal punishment for the incident. Additionally, reports about his prior criminal record from five years ago are unrelated to this case, as they involve a misdemeanor."

The team explained that Ham Joon Ho was suspended from his duties following the incident and spent three years reflecting on his actions before returning to directing. They added, "We kindly ask for viewers’ understanding."

The controversy began after online posts brought up the 2020 incident, sharing a news article from that time. The article described an SBS drama department employee, referred to as “A,” causing a disturbance in Hannam-dong, Seoul, while intoxicated. Police booked “A,” and due to their prior criminal record, an arrest warrant was requested but later denied.

It was later confirmed that “A” was PD Ham Joon Ho. After serving his suspension, he made his directorial comeback with the SBS drama Payback before taking on Love Scout.

Despite the production team's apology, the controversy has cast a shadow over the highly anticipated drama, leaving viewers wondering how it will impact the show’s reception.

Stay tuned for more updates as this story unfolds!

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