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On July 15, 2025, JYP Entertainment released a special video on TWICE’s official YouTube channel to celebrate Jihyo’s 20th anniversary with the company. The video featured a close-knit gathering of idol friends who have known her for years. The guests included Nayeon, Jeongyeon, Mingyu, Seungkwan, BamBam, Sungjin, Sejeong, and Nayoung.
Playful interactions between Jihyo and Mingyu, as well as lighthearted stories shared by Seungkwan and BamBam gave fans a rare look into real friendships formed behind the scenes in the K-pop industry. Mingyu jokingly brought up her drinking habits from her trainee days.
He teased her multiple times throughout the video. When she was reminiscing the year 2016, Mingyu said:
"You also drank a lot back then."
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Seungkwan also shared a story of going camping with her family back in 2015, even before he became close with the female singer. BamBam revealed that she had recently comforted him when he was going through a rough time.
Fans quickly picked up on the easiness among the idols, especially those born in 1997 like Jihyo, Mingyu, and BamBam. Many expressed how such genuine friendships rarely get shown because of the fear of dating rumors. An X user, @effyegg, wrote:
"If only they didnt ship every idol interaction, all of them act like they have never seen a female and male interact."
Fans took to social media to encourage more openness. They stated that idols should be able to show their real bonds without fear of being misinterpreted. They also shared hopes of seeing more of such interactions that clearly exist but stay behind the scenes.
"I'm so happy to see so much of 3rd gen idols being open about their friendship. Kpop industry is so cruel, glad they all have one another to support and talk to when they go through tough times," a fan mentioned.
"I hope artists comfortably visiting each other could be more normalized. Well i mean, we don't have to know, but look how nice it is!," an X user wrote.
"The 97z gang really includes the girls but they don't talk about it because it's taboo. *sigh*," another one said.
"97liners are not just for the boys but also the girls and they're all actually very close. Nobody believes me until they show their interaction," a netizen added.
They pointed out that male-female friendships in K-pop are often hidden due to unnecessary fan speculation.
"As a fan, i'm really grateful .i really hope male-female friendships are normalized in kpop .the industry is exhausting as it is so i really wish friendships wouldn't cause controversies regardless of gender," a fan commented.
"Kpop idols cannot wear the same hats or bracelets or use the same phone cases they like cause next thing you know there is a dating rumor and there are two thousand people asking them to apologise for the scenario they made up in their heads," a user wrote.
"Bring back the bg & gg interaction like this because it's normal for men and women to have platonic relationships in real life," another one said.
Inside Jihyo’s 20th anniversary video: guests, stories, and emotional moments
The video was a tribute to Jihyo’s 20-year journey with JYP Entertainment. Her journey began when she joined the agency as a child in 2005. It brought together her closest idol friends for a small party filled with nostalgia and candid memories.
SEVENTEEN’s Seungkwan recalled visiting a campsite owned by Jihyo’s family, where he played games with her siblings before they had even become close. TWICE’s Nayeon mentioned how timid Jihyo used to be as a trainee, often too shy to ask for things in public.
Mingyu stood out for repeatedly teasing Jihyo during the celebration. In one moment, when she mentioned her stress in 2016, he jokingly listed off alcohol names, suggesting what she might have used to cope. When Nayeon talked about Jihyo’s shyness at restaurants, Mingyu added that she had no trouble confidently asking for more drinks.
Jihyo laughed but told him to stop, clearly amused by his antics. Their back-and-forth revealed a natural dynamic that comes from knowing each other for years.
Jihyo debuted as TWICE’s leader in 2015. Before that, she spent a decade as a trainee. Notably, TWICE released their fourth Korean studio album This Is For on July 11. The group will kick off their This Is For World Tour with two shows in Incheon on July 19 and 20.
TWICE is also set to headline Lollapalooza in Chicago on August 2 and release their sixth Japanese studio album Enemy on August 27.
