BTS: Jungkook’s Graduation Attracted So Many Fans That His Classmates Had to Form a Human Barrier

BTS is one of the biggest groups in the world with a popularity level that has been compared to Beatlemania in the 1960s. This, of course, means that the members of BTS often have trouble navigating everyday activities because of how many adoring fans they have everywhere they go.

For the youngest member, Jungkook, BTS’s popularity caused some problems at his high school graduation a few years ago. In order for the graduation event to go smoothly, Jungkook’s classmates had to help form a human barrier.

When did BTS’s Jungkook graduate from high school?

Jungkook debuted with BTS in 2013. He was 15 years old at the time and still a high school student.

When not promoting with BTS, Jungkook attended the School of Performing Arts Seoul (also commonly called SOPA). The school has a flexible curriculum, so it is well known as a place where many K-pop trainees and idols go.

Jungkook graduated from SOPA in 2017—an event documented by BTS in the group’s Bangtan Bomb video series.

Jungkook’s former school mates shared that the students formed a human barrier for him

When Jungkook had his high school graduation, BTS was already getting quite popular in both South Korea and abroad. As such, it was not surprising that many fans flocked to SOPA’s graduation event to see Jungkook’s big day.

In a video featuring two SOPA alumni, one student who was at the graduation event recalled how crazy it all was.

“Jungkook had so many fans that it was really hard to get into the school,” former student Choi Hyejeong said. “All the fans there started running towards him, so it was hard for him to get into the auditorium.”

Choi shared that, because of the commotion, she and other students had to form a human barrier to keep fans out. She recalled, “I held hand with a stranger and an older student I didn’t know. We blocked fans so Jungkook could pass by.”

The other SOPA graduate in the video, Shim Seungjun, also noted that some fans had professional cameras and would place them on the students’ shoulders to get pictures. However, he recalled that students would wipe their finger over the lenses to keep the fans’ pictures from coming out nicely.

Additionally, Shim said that the school gave out passes to reporters, but some fans managed to make imitations of them.

“They made the same pass and showed it to us,” Shim revealed. “But I have sharp eyes, so I noticed that and didn’t let them in.”

Jungkook has talked about how he deals with fame

It’s clear being famous can be a tough situation for Jungkook. He has also talked about the pressure of fame in an interview with Paper Magazine last year.

“I realized that I should think twice before I do anything, and not forget where I am, no matter what situation I may be in,” Jungkook said. “The pressure [of being perfect] is always there. But I want to show them that I am improving. If I had a chance to improve every aspect of myself, then I would work hard to make it happen rather than just sitting idly by.”