BTS’ Jin explains absence from ‘ARIRANG’ credits, says 'it was the best choice'

BTS' Jin / Captured from Rolling Stone's channel

BTS member Jin has addressed why his name was missing from the songwriting credits of the group’s latest full-length album “ARIRANG,” saying scheduling conflicts made it the “best choice” at the time.

In an interview video released Wednesday with U.S. music publication Rolling Stone, Jin shared behind-the-scenes details about the album and clarified speculation that had circulated among fans following its release.

“I haven’t talked about this anywhere else, but the truth is I didn’t write any of the songs,” he said, drawing attention to the fact that his name was absent from the album’s credits — a point that had sparked questions online.

At the time of the comeback, BTS members had explained during a livestream that Jin joined the U.S.-based songwriting sessions later than the others due to his solo tour schedule. Still, various theories continued to emerge among fans.

Jin said, “I was still on my solo tour at the time. When I arrived at the studio, there were a hundred-something songs already made. So then I test recorded the best of them. And that took about seven to ten days. Once that was done, the whole process was over.”

He added that the recording had been scheduled three months in advance, while his solo tour had been planned even earlier, making it difficult to align the timelines.

“I was worried our fans would be bored while everyone was in the military, so there I was soothing the hearts of our fans. Meanwhile, all of the songs got made,” he said.

When the interviewer noted that it would have been nice to see more songwriting credits from Jin, he responded modestly.

“I do think it would have been better, but the other members did a beautiful job,” he said. “If I had been greedy and pushed the whole session just so I could add my own songs, this interview would be happening months from now. Wouldn’t the fans be too bored during that time?”

Jin added, “Sure, I’m a little bummed, but there’s more to life than just the present – there’s the future. And I believe there will always be more opportunities. So I’m a little disappointed, but that was the best choice I could made at the time.”

This article from the Hankook Ilbo, the sister publication of The Korea Times, is translated by a generative AI system and edited by The Korea Times.