BTS Kim Namjoon leaves a heartfelt message for ARMY in new interview: ‘It’s been 12 years since I’ve debuted..’
Candid and reflective, Namjoon’s new interview is a love letter to ARMY and a reminder of the trust and connection that defines BTS’s 12-year journey
Kim Namjoon’s latest Harpers Bazaar Korea interview feels like a treasure chest waiting to be opened by ARMY. Known as the thoughtful yet often reserved leader of BTS, Namjoon — or RM — peeled back the layers and showed fans a more candid side of himself. For an artist who is usually described as deep, philosophical, and at times elusive, this sit-down was refreshingly honest, almost as if he were having a one-on-one conversation with the fandom that has stood by him for more than a decade.
From reflections on his journey to heartfelt gratitude for ARMY, Namjoon let his words do what they always do best: connect. The standout moment came when he was asked about ARMY and how he wanted his legion of fans to perceive him post military conscription. “A person who feels like a real person,” he said, in his characteristically cryptic-yet-poetic style. “It’s been 12 years since I’ve debuted, you know! I used to want to be seen as cute, cool or smart, things like that but now I don’t have those desires. Just someone who goes at their own speed and directions. I think it’s hard to do that these days. I want to be at least one person who goes at my own speed and direction and I hope I can show that well. I hope people naturally feel comforted by it.”
In typical Namjoon fashion, he managed to wrap a lifetime of self-awareness and gentle reassurance into a few sentences. When asked if there was anything he wanted to say to ARMY that he hadn’t expressed before, his words carried even more weight. “Being together is never taken for granted so I feel very grateful. We’ve had a lot of ups and downs, but we still trust and believe in each other and we lean on them as our support. The fact that we can step out into the world again and do something. Fans who continue to be a source of strength, they are still our greatest strength.”
And while fans are still taking in Namjoon’s soul-baring words, they also have something else to celebrate. Just days after the group’s military discharge, BTS officially confirmed they are back in the studio. The septet — RM, Jin, Suga, J-Hope, Jimin, V, and Jungkook — have already begun working on a brand-new album in the US, with plans to release it in the first half of 2026.
