The Truth About Jungkook Vaping

In March 2023, South Korean singing sensation Jungkook, a phenomenal boy band BTS member whose YouTube videos garner hundreds of millions of views, went live on the Weverse platform and accidentally showed a vape on camera. 

This controversial incident swiftly went viral with the part that showed a vape device viewed by 10 million people, Koreaboo reported. Following suit, the ARMYs, or what BTS’ fans are called, had mixed reactions, from those who said Jungkook mustn’t vape to those who just laughed it off. 

This controversy on whether Jungkook vapes or not deserves further discussion, especially since despite the rise and popularity of vaping, others are still raising their eyebrows at it. So, this article will examine the facts about this much-talked-about incident. 

We begin our discussion by chopping it down to the incident’s details. The media company shared that Jungkook went live on Weverse last March 14th with three separate lives. In his first live, the “Seven” singer showed fans the alcoholic drinks he bought during the day. What a brave guy to do so. Johnnie Walker and Evan Williams Bourbon were some of the drink brands he showed. 

Afterward, he changed his outfit and interacted with the other BTS member, RM. When he started his third live, fans started to go berserk. 

Wearing a puffer jacket and beanie, Jungkook was in front of the camera with a mug containing alcohol when fans noticed there was a white-colored vape just peeking partially on the left side of the screen. When the singer realized the vape device was being seen, he casually slid it away. 

Of course, Jungkook's fans are hugely concerned about whether he vapes. These fans will meddle with the lives of their idols as much as they can to show their love for them. The ARMYs' reactions to Jungkook showing a vape in his livestream range from humorous to supportive to even judgmental. 

“the close up and then the slide away made me scream (emoji) he is so funny,” tweeted  @intofoIklore.

Another netizen on X, @MOYALUNA02, who is also probably into vaping, said Jungkook doing it means he’s another addition to the “vape squad.”

The others said Jungkook is already an adult, so it’s “his life, his decisions.” 

“Let’s not judge him for something that may not even be true,” they pointed out. 

However, a group of fans became worried about his health and couldn’t believe he would vape, as they knew his life story well. 

“I hope Jungkook takes care of himself and doesn’t harm his health. We love him and want him to be happy and healthy,” one stated.

Another went on to dig deep into his life saying the singer won’t vape because they said he wanted his father to quit smoking when the singer was still in high school. 

If Jungkook vapes, he isn’t alone. Vaping or smoking in the Korean entertainment industry is relatively widespread. However, the attitudes and perceptions toward seeing their favorite idols vaping are mostly negative.

These are largely because of cultural norms and the industry working so hard to maintain a “clean image.” The acts of smoking are scorned mainly because of health considerations. Moreover, vaping is considered taboo. 

Instances of K-Pop idols caught smoking or vaping have led to massive backlash and criticism not just from the fans but also from the media. Let’s not stray far and look at the incident with Jungkook revealed earlier. While many fans convinced others not to judge him, the rest did not agree with Jungkook vaping. 

Also recently, Jennie of the big K-Pop girl group BLACKPINK was spotted vaping indoors while her hair and makeup were being done. Some fans didn’t like what they saw, and the media even reported that Seoul’s foreign ministry received a formal complaint regarding this. 

Other K-pop stars who went public with their vaping habit include Ryujin of ITZY, Chaeyoung of fromis_9, and Taeyong of NCT. 

Whether or not these K-pop idols revealed their vaping activities to the public simply to show off or to promote the use of vape, they are part of the young population who are embracing this routine. 

There are various reasons why vaping is massively popular among millennials and Gen Zs. These include:

The first reason is widespread advertising. Vape brands exhaust all creative means to create ads and promotional campaigns about their products. Because these campaigns are enticing and shared on TV and social media, it’s highly unlikely that nobody or a few people would patronize them. 

The youth are easily swayed to vape if they see their friends doing it. For instance, in a school setting, wouldn’t it feel ostracizing if you find your classmates vaping and you do not? Just like when one sees their classmate playing a new video game, they’d be encouraged to vape if they see their schoolmates in this activity. 

Furthermore, the youth are also inspired to start vaping when they see their parents, uncles, or aunts doing so, especially since they look up to them.