BTS's V is starting 2025 with a bang, as he continues to reign supreme in Japan's major popularity rankings, solidifying his position as the undisputed king of "TaeTaeLand."

In the first week of January 2025, V earned the No. 1 spot in the male idol category on Japan's well-known idol ranking site 'NEHAN,' marking an incredible 198 consecutive weeks at the top.

But that’s not all. V also smashed records on other major sites. On 'BIHAN,' a popular Korean actor ranking site, he ranked No. 1 in the 'Actor Popularity Ranking' category for 47 weeks straight and held the top spot in the '20s Korean Actors' category for an impressive 194 weeks.

Over on 'K-board,' a site dedicated to K-culture, V maintained a 154-week streak at No. 1 in the 'K-pop Idol Popularity Ranking,' and also took the top spots in the 'Korean Drama Male Actor Election' and 'Flower Boy Election' polls. His dominance didn't stop there—V was also No. 1 on 'KPOP JUICE,' a K-pop-focused site, with a staggering 5.47 million votes overall.

Since the rise of the Hallyu wave, V has consistently been the most popular Korean star in Japan, maintaining the highest rank among Korean celebrities. His popularity extends to X (formerly Twitter), where he has topped the 'Celebrity Ranking' with the most mentions by a Korean celebrity.

V continues to shine as the most talked-about Korean star in various fields, including music, acting, and variety shows.

What’s even more impressive is his success as a K-pop solo artist. In Spotify Japan’s 2024 year-end review, V ranked 6th in the 'Most Shared Artists on SNS' list, the highest ranking for a K-pop solo artist, showing just how much fans love his music.

V's solo tracks, including 'Winter Ahead,' 'White Christmas,' 'FRI(END)S,' and 'Slow Dancing,' have all topped Japan’s iTunes charts, setting a new record for a K-pop solo artist.

V's solo album, 'Layover,' released on September 8, 2023, achieved stellar sales, selling 221,491 copies on release day and ranking No. 1 on Japan's Oricon 'Daily Album Ranking' for K-pop solo artists. In the 'Annual Ranking 2023,' which tracks sales from December 26, 2022, to December 18, 2023, V’s album sold 247,826 copies, ranking 16th on the 'Album Ranking' chart and making history as the highest-ever position for a K-pop solo artist.

His album was also the only K-pop solo album to land in the Oricon 'Best-selling K-pop Albums Top 10' chart.

With all these impressive achievements, V’s status in Japan and the global music scene only continues to grow stronger. "TaeTaeLand" is definitely here to stay.

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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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