Who isn’t a sucker for remembering the good ol’ days?
BTS’ V, whose real name is Kim Tae-hyung, has stepped up for his army buddy after the latter’s accounts of their time together while serving in South Korea went viral.
Content creator Kim Ki-tae first took to Instagram on May 26 to share a retelling of the time he and V attended a Christmas church service. Over the course of five more videos until May 30, his videos centred around his time in the military with V, including moments when they played games and went through elite training.
V enlisted for his mandatory military service in December 2023, where he served in the police unit’s Special Duty Team. He was discharged on June 10, 2025 alongside fellow BTS member RM.
He voiced his support for Kim’s content on May 30, writing in the comments section of his reel posted that day: “Ki-tae, long time no see. Your memory is incredible.”
Numerous fans criticised the public nature of Kim’s content.
One wrote: “Don’t you know how to talk about anything else? Stop talking about Tae-hyung, respect his privacy! Talk about yourself and let him talk about his experience – only he can, because he lived it. Don’t speak for him!”
On the other hand, there were also fans who praised Kim for showing good sides of V, encouraging him to keep making more content about their military anecdotes.
On June 1, Kim announced in a reel that it would be his last video talking about V, citing that he wanted to let the 30-year-old tell his own side of the story.
However, the K-pop star himself appeared in the comments again on June 2, simply saying: “Hey, why don’t you spread the word more? It’s fun, I don’t even remember much.”
Later, on June 3, when Kim uploaded another Reel detailing V’s down-to-earth personality, V personally addressed fans’ concerns that same day.
In the comments, he wrote a lengthy message: “I noticed that while many people appreciate the videos you put so much effort into and are grateful for, there also seem to be a few who are a bit concerned. Anyway, I had lots of fun.
“As you go through life, there are definitely times when something you did with good intentions is interpreted differently because everyone has their own perspective. I hope you don’t let those opinions get to you too much.”
He added that Kim posting numerous short clips consecutively might have made people wary of his intentions and commended his comrade for being the “absolute ace” of their platoon, remarking that he enjoyed their time serving together.
“Actually, I think it might be hard for anyone who wasn’t with us to fully understand what we went through, right?” continued V.
“I’m worried you’ll stress yourself out over these reactions while doing bench presses, so I’m leaving this comment despite the hassle.”
He ended his comment with “I’m always rooting for you.”
BTS is currently in their 13th debut anniversary celebrations and will be in Singapore for their world tour, performing on Dec 17, 19, 20 and 22 at National Stadium. This will be the longest run in Asia outside of South Korea and Japan.
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kristy.chua@asiaone.com
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