Jungkook dubbed "national treasure" in Korea after FIFA performance

Jungkook during the live performance at the FIFA World Cup 2022. (Image via Instagram/@fifaworldcup)
Jungkook during the live performance at the FIFA World Cup 2022. (Image via Instagram/@fifaworldcup)

Jungkook single-handedly ensured that, regardless of the South Korean football team's performance, this year's FIFA World Cup would live on in the memory of every Korean.

The 25-year-old created history by becoming the first individual from the country to perform at the event. When Jungkook returned to Korea, leading media outlets in the nation hailed his live performance of Dreamers as a historic achievement and dubbed him a "National Treasure."

One channel flashed the headline:

"The national treasure has come back. Korea returns to the state of enjoying KooKoo’s presence again”

Meanwhile, two other television channels, KBS and MBC, featured Jungkook's performance. The outlets commended him for not only pulling on an incredible show but also for his rising credibility as an international artist. This was because his song made a record-breaking debut on the global music charts.


Jungkook sets multiple records with FIFA World Cup song Dreamers

It's only been a week since Dreamers was released. Jungkook performed the song with Qatari singer Fahad Al Kubaisi, and it became the fastest official FIFA World Cup song to reach No. 1 on iTunes Charts in the US. The song managed to pull the feat in only two hours and 11 minutes of its release.

Moreover, videos of all versions of the song — the live performance video, the official music video, and the video uploaded by BANGTAN TV — have also broken another record by becoming the top three trending videos on YouTube worldwide.

But that's not all. On Spotify, Dreamers debuted at No. 2 with a total of 4.8 million streams. A career high for the soloist, whose earlier songs Left & Right with Charlie Puth and Stay Alive peaked at No. 3.

After its opening day, Dreamers recorded 6.3 million streams on Spotify, surpassing the record for first-day streams related to a solo song by a K-Pop artist. The record was previously held by BLACKPINK Lisa's MONEY.


Dreamers staff praise Jungkook's work ethic

Since the release of Dreamers, BTS' golden maknae has received praise from ARMYs all over the world, his band members, and even Jordan's Crown Prince, Hussein bin Abdullah, who shared a video of the live performance on his Instagram.

Among the people praising Jungkook is the staff who worked with him behind the scenes. Gian Benzon, who was featured in the official music video of the song, posted this on his Instagram:

"I remember this moment exactly when we were rehearsing and JK went out of his tent just to watch us rehearse and he kept smiling while we were dancing."

A digital creator, who is also an ARMY, took to social media to share her first-hand experience. Calling it a dream to work with the star, she wrote:

"He is such a performer! Watching him dance live was a dream come true. He’s hardworking and wants to get it right every time. When all the dancers were leaving, he stood and waved until they left."

The staff's reactions showcasing the worldwide icon's down-to-earth and polite personality drew even more praise from the global community.

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Edited by Soumyadyuti Ghosh