In a historic moment for the global music industry, JungKook , the “Golden Maknae” of BTS, has taken the spotlight as the face of a groundbreaking collaborative project by Rolling Stone.

Announced in late 2025 and headlined in the January/February 2026 issues, this feature marks the first time in the publication’s history that three major editions—Korea, the UK, and Japan—have jointly featured a single artist.

This global exclusive, which extended across digital covers in eight countries including France, India, and China, solidifies Jung Kook’s status as a preeminent solo artist and a 21st-century pop icon.

Stepping Into a New Chapter

The interview, conducted in a sunlit studio in New York, finds Jung Kook in a period of profound transition and self-reflection.

Having completed his 18-month mandatory military service in June 2025—where he notably served as a cook—he is now preparing for the highly anticipated reunion of BTS in 2026.

Despite the massive scale of his success, Jung Kook remains remarkably grounded. He describes his current phase as a “new leap,” emphasizing his desire to be an artist who creates trends rather than follows them.

“I want to keep evolving by trying new things,” he shared, “I want to be an artist without limits.”

Mindset and Lifestyle: The “Simple” Approach

Jung Kook provided a rare glimpse into his daily life and mental health strategies, revealing a preference for simplicity.

He admitted that offstage, he purposefully keeps his mind “empty” to avoid the paralysis of overthinking.

This extends to his lifestyle choices; he mentioned that he currently follows a strict “one meal a day” diet, which he approaches with a sense of patience and achievement.

Interestingly, when presented with old magazine covers of himself, he showed little sentimentality, laughing at his younger self and stating,

“I don’t like the past. I’m enjoying right now.”

This philosophy of living in the “here and now” serves as his anchor amidst the global chaos that surrounds his fame.

The Power of “Seven” and Creative Resilience

Reflecting on his record-breaking solo journey, Jung Kook discussed the pivotal role his single “Seven” played in his career.

He surpassed 10 billion cumulative streams on Spotify in late 2025—a first for a Korean solo artist—with “Seven” alone accounting for over 2.6 billion.

He confessed that before the track’s release, he had gone through a difficult period where work felt taxing.

The process of recording “Seven” and the explosive global response it received acted as a creative reset, restoring his confidence and shifting his perspective on live performance.

As the youngest member of BTS, Jung Kook is at the heart of the group’s “next chapter.” The interview touched upon the group’s confirmed plans for a spring 2026 album, which the members have described as a return to the mindset and raw energy of their earliest years.

Jung Kook signaled that this interim period is his time to experiment and refine his direction so he can present multiple, varied sides of himself when the seven members reunite on stage.

With his “limitless” ambition and a focus on maintaining his personal well-being, Jung Kook is not just preparing for a comeback; he is redefining the trajectory of a global superstar.

In a significant legal development that has closed a dark chapter for the K-hip-hop scene, rapper B-Free (real name Choi Sung-ho, 40) has been officially sentenced to a prison term of one year and four months.

On January 2, 2026, the Seoul High Court upheld the original verdict from his initial trial, dismissing his appeal and confirming that the rapper must face incarceration for an assault that left a victim with permanent visual impairment.

The Violent Confrontation and Injuries

The sentencing follows a violent incident that occurred in the early morning hours of June 18, 2024, at an apartment complex in Jung-gu, Seoul.

B-Free was reportedly involved in a loud dispute with a security guard over an entrance barrier when a resident living on the first floor complained about the noise.

Enraged by the protest, B-Free called the resident outside and launched a physical attack.

The victim was struck in the face with such force that they fell to the ground, sustaining a triangular facial fracture and lacerations. Most tragically, the assault caused traumatic optic neuropathy in the victim’s right eye.

While the defense argued the injuries might improve, medical assessments indicated a high probability of permanent visual impairment, requiring over eight weeks of intensive medical treatment.

The court’s decision to impose a prison sentence was heavily influenced by B-Free’s extensive criminal record. The rapper has six prior convictions, many of which are related to violence.

Notably, he committed this latest assault while already on trial for a similar charge, demonstrating what the court described as a “high possibility of recidivism” and a blatant disregard for the law.

During the appeal, the prosecution sought to upgrade the charge to “serious injury,” while B-Free sought a lighter sentence by citing his self-composed lyrics in the song “Magic Hands,” where he pledged to refrain from violence.

However, the appellate court dismissed both arguments, ruling that the initial sentence of 16 months was within a reasonable scope of discretion given the severity of the victim’s disability and B-Free’s unpitying attitude.

A Legacy of Controversy: The BTS Connection

For many K-pop fans, the name B-Free is synonymous with one of the most infamous moments in early idol history.

In 2013, during a “KBH HipHop Radio” broadcast, B-Free sparked international outrage by verbally attacking BTS members RM and Suga .

He mocked them for wearing makeup and “selling out” to become idols instead of remaining “pure” rappers.

Despite several half-hearted apologies over the years—often dismissed by fans as opportunistic attempts to gain traction as BTS reached global superstardom—the rapper remained a persona non grata in the mainstream industry.

This latest prison sentence is being viewed by many as the final “trash taking itself out,” as one netizen put it, marking the end of a career defined more by aggression and controversy than musical contribution.

Final Verdict and Industry Impact

With the Seoul High Court’s ruling on January 2, the legal proceedings have reached their conclusion.

The court emphasized that the victim had repeatedly petitioned for a heavy sentence and refused to accept any settlement offers from the rapper.

As B-Free begins his 16-month prison term, the case serves as a stern reminder of the legal consequences of violence in the industry.

For a figure who once critiqued others for their lack of “hip-hop spirit,” his legacy is now cemented not in music, but in a prison cell.

Fans of the K-pop and K-hip-hop communities have largely welcomed the news, hoping that this serves as a moment of justice for the victim and a permanent deterrent against the pattern of behavior that has plagued B-Free’s career for over a decade.