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BTS member j-hope’s chemistry with model Irene Kim has become a hot topic of discussion among the Korean netizens, and ARMYs are not taking it lightly.
On August 5, a user named Nate Pann took to the online forum to create a post titled, "What exactly is [the relationship between] J-Hope and Irene?". The netizen pointed out how frequent their encounters have been with each other in the recent weeks. Irene Kim was spotted cheering for the artist alongside BTS member Jimin at the Lollapalooza festival in Chicago.
She also visited Kaws with j-hope and another acquaintance. The BTS member himself shared some photos with Irene Kim and the same acquaintance on his personal Instagram, instantly garnering attention from K-pop fans.
ARMYs took to social media to defend the Arson singer over intense speculation over his personal life and felt it was intrusive of netizens to enquire about his private life. Fans believe BTS members have the right to hang out with friends, regardless of their gender. Moreover, not every friendly hangout should spark a discussion on the celebrity's romantic relationship within the online community.
ARMYs agree that even if j-hope and Irene Kim were in a romantic relationship, they are not answerable to anyone as it is the rapper’s personal matter. Romantic or not, the decision to reveal one's relationship with others should be their choice.
BTS’ j-hope and Irene Kim: a brief timeline of their recent encounters
It can be speculated that the BTS member and model, Irene Kim, first got acquainted with each other during the septet’s Love Yourself concert tour held in Seoul back in 2018.
Since then, Irene Kim has been spotted hanging out with BTS members on many occasions, including the MORE singer's pre-release party for Jack in the Box. Very recently, she was even seen attending his debut performance as the main headliner at the 2022 Lollapalooza festival alongside Jimin. Later, she visited the Kaws studio along with j-hope and Hyejoo Woo, the Editor-in-Chief of W Korea magazine.
It is interesting to note that the Bangtan member and Irene Kim haven't shied away from posting pictures with one another on their Instagram accounts. Irene also shared some snaps from Jack in the Box listening party with the caption followed by a rainbow, fire and heart-eyed emojis:
“He is our HOPE and a world class human inside & out.”
The BTS member took to Instagram to share some photos after his record-breaking performance at the 2022 Lollapalooza festival, where Irene Kim was featured alongside Jimin and W Korea’s editor.
Irene Kim also shared a video on her Instagram story showing her support as the BTS member set the stage on fire at Lollapalooza, making Korean netizens speculate about the nature of their relationship.
In fact, ARMYs are proud of the j-hope and Irene Kim’s strong and solid relationship, romantic or not. They look happy in each other's company, so naturally, the fans would rejoice their friendship.
So far, BIG HIT MUSIC has not issued any statement of clarification on the same.
Previously, the BTS member was romantically paired with BLACKPINK’s Rosé but K-Pop fans immediately dismissed the link-up rumors. The rumors gained prominence after the famous Korean-born French chef Pierre Sang posted pictures of the K-pop idols visiting his restaurant in June this year.
BTS' j-hope wraps up first-week sales for Jack In The Box
The MORE singer has wrapped up first-week sales for his solo debut album. According to the data released by Hanteo, Jack in the Box sold 365,917 copies from July 29 to Aug. 4, marking the seventh-highest first-week sales for any K-pop solo album in history. It even surpassed Kang Daniel's MAGENTA, which sold 323,167 copies. With this, Jack In The Box now holds the fourth-best-selling album by a Korean solo act in first-day and first-week sales.
Jack In The Box is his first full-length album and second solo venture after Hope World and consists of 10 tracks, including the pre-release single MORE and the title track, Arson.
