Recently, RM came under criticism after talking about fellow BTS member Jungkook during a live broadcast on May 28, 2026. During the Weverse live following BTS’ Day 3 concert in Las Vegas, RM spoke about several topics, including the members’ emotions surrounding the group’s reunion after military service.
BTS began military enlistments in December 2022 with eldest member Jin entering the service, while Suga completed the group’s enlistment period with his discharge in June 2025. During that time, the members who enlisted later, focused on individual schedules while fans awaited the group’s return.
RM shared that around the time Jin was discharged, most of the members were still serving in the military and they gathered at Jimin’s house. According to him, the members were emotionally exhausted during that period.
While recalling the gathering, RM revealed that Jungkook had also been going through a difficult phase at the time along with everyone else and the members became emotional together.
“At that time, Jungkook was also going through a really hard period, so everyone was struggling. We were all still at the stage of our military service where we were junior soldiers. We ended up crying a lot,” RM stated during the live (as translated by X user @thankyouBusan)
He further added that the members had several discussions during that period, with the older members feeling they needed to help keep the group together. According to the rapper, those conversations eventually led BTS to promise each other that they would return stronger and release an album for the fans who stayed by their side throughout the enlistment era.
However, clips from the broadcast quickly spread across social media and sparked mixed reactions among fans. Some Jungkook fans criticized RM for discussing Jungkook’s emotional struggles during the military enlistment period publicly. They argued that the singer himself had rarely spoken about that period despite holding multiple live broadcasts in the past. They mentioned that his privacy should have been respected unless he personally chose to discuss it.
Others, however, defended RM and felt his comments were being taken out of context. Many fans believed RM was only speaking about the emotional hardships the entire group faced during military service and how the members supported each other during that time. A fan defending RM wrote,
“Theyre acting like they know the members personally more than namjoon its getting funny.”
Several fans defended RM, saying the criticism was being taken too far and misinterpreting his intent. They added that reactions online reflected parasocial assumptions about the members’ relationships rather than the context of what was actually said.
Some fans said the members likely had a lot on their minds during that period. They also pointed to the group’s closeness, noting that BTS members appeared to support each other through the challenges of military service and preparations for their comeback.
RM opens up about BTS’ emotional military period, album debates, and unreleased tracks during livestream
During his Weverse livestream on May 28, 2026, opened up about BTS’ comeback preparations, the creative direction behind their latest album, and the emotional challenges the members faced during military service. The rapper reflected on the group’s recent performances in the United States and Japan. He admitted that revisiting older BTS songs during concerts left him emotional and made him think deeply about the group’s journey.
RM further revealed that BTS had many discussions while working on the album, especially regarding its overall direction and message. He said that the faced difficulty finalizing the album’s direction as each member brought different creative influences from their solo work and personal growth.
However, he noted that, unlike earlier eras where leadership from him or Suga often guided decisions, the group now prioritizes everyone’s input equally. He added that this mutual respect sometimes slowed the process, as the members avoided overriding one another’s ideas.
RM admitted that the lack of a single clear “lead voice” made it harder to settle on final creative choices. He further shared that tracks like Body To Body, Like Animals, Please and NORMAL were originally developed before BTS completed military service, but were later significantly revised in terms of lyrics and themes.
Toward the end of the livestream, RM encouraged listeners to focus more on the album’s lyrics and storytelling rather than only streaming numbers or chart results. He expressed hope that fans would better understand the meaning and emotions behind the music after hearing the group’s creative process.
Edited by Adrija Chakraborty
