BTS' V to make guest appearance on 'Running Man'
Singer V of BTS / Courtesy of Big Hit Entertainment
By Yoo Su-kyung
BTS member V is set to make an appearance on the popular variety show “Running Man” on SBS. Anticipation is high, given V's previous television appearances where he demonstrated an uncanny ability to entertain the crowd.
The Hankook Ilbo learned on Tuesday that V had successfully wrapped up filming for an episode of “Running Man” on Monday, which is scheduled to air on Sept. 10.
V is the second BTS member to be invited as a guest on “Running Man” after Jin's appearance on the show last October, shortly before his military enlistment. The teaser of the episode featuring Jin got over 600,000 views on YouTube in four days, and the episode itself had a nationwide viewership rating of 4.8 percent according to Nielsen Korea.
“Running Man” host and comedian Yoo Jae-suk is known to be greatly admired by V, further raising expectations surrounding his upcoming appearance on the show. During a previous appearance by BTS on tvN's talk show “You Quiz on the Block,” also hosted by Yoo Jae-suk, V remarked that he envied the comedian and his career in broadcasting.
V is set to release his first solo album “Layover” on September 8, becoming the last of BTS's seven members to embark on a solo project.
“I'm nervous but happy at the same time. This album perfectly encapsulates who I am and there will be plenty for fans to enjoy,” he said. “You can all look forward to it. You'll see a lot of different sides of me as a solo artist compared to who I am as a BTS member.”
V's latest album was produced in collaboration with Min Hee-jin, an art director and the CEO of Ador who led the creative direction of K-pop sensation NewJeans. Min was brought on at the request of V to oversee various aspects of his album, including music, choreography, design and marketing.
The title track of V's upcoming album is “Slow Dancing,” a romantic soul track in the style of the 1970s with a tender groove. The album will include a total of six tracks, and five of them will come with their own music videos excluding the bonus track.
Yoo Su-kyung (uu84@hankookilbo.com) is a reporter at The Hankook Ilbo, a sister publication of The Korea Times. This article, previously published in The Hankook Ilbo, has been translated as part of a news-sharing program.