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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BTS member Jin has touched hearts once again with his kind gesture to support those affected by wildfires.

On April 3, Jin visited Gilan Middle School in Gilan-myeon, Andong, to serve meals to disaster victims and firefighters. His actions brought much-needed comfort to the people in the area.

Gilan Middle School is where celebrity chef Baek Jong Won, a close friend of Jin, has been running a free meal service through his company, The Born Korea.

Since March 28, The Born Korea has been providing meals for the wildfire victims, preparing 300 to 700 servings each time to ensure that the affected people and firefighters receive warm food.

Jin quietly made his way to Andong, a region that suffered extensive damage from the wildfire, to lend a helping hand.

Big Hit Music, Jin’s agency, shared, “Jin wanted to provide even a small amount of help to those affected by the wildfires, which is why he decided to participate in this volunteer activity.”

This heartwarming gesture follows BTS's large donations for wildfire recovery efforts. Jungkook donated a whopping 1 billion KRW, while V gave 200 million KRW, and RM, J-Hope, and Suga each contributed 100 million KRW to aid in the recovery.

Source: [1]