30 December,2025 12:36 PM IST | Mumbai | mid-day online correspondent
Kim Taehyung
Kim Taehyung, a member of BTS V, is enjoying his first birthday outside of the military after finishing his 18-month conscription in 2022. To commemorate the event, South Korean fans went above and beyond, setting up elaborate exhibits and engaging activities all across Seoul.
At the busiest part of Hangang Park, the Hangang Cruise Terminal, a six-meter-tall enormous V doll wearing a Los Angeles Dodgers uniform was set up. In August 2025, the group honored V's ceremonial first pitch at Dodger Stadium. A major feature of the birthday celebrations, the eye-catching show attracted large numbers of tourists and locals.
A 3-meter-tall Christmas tree commemorating the fourth anniversary of V's song Christmas Tree, together with life-size V standees, was on display in a dedicated photo area at HYBE. While another display across from Seongsu XYZ was a popular gathering place, fans went to the area to take special pictures.
V's birthday ads were shown on lightbox screens in Seoul's subway stations, reaching more than a million riders per day. Six enormous digital screens totaling more than 1,500 square meters were set up in Gangnam, Hongdae, Sinchon, Myeongdong, and Seoul Station, while buses covered with birthday congratulations outside the HYBE building provided an additional level of excitement.
The celebration was further cemented in the city's most recognizable spots as the city witnessed its first-ever lapping advertisement at Seongsu-dong's AK Valley, a popular spot with over 100,000 daily visitors.
Additionally, fans organised more than thirty themed café parties throughout Seoul, each with distinctive décor, menus, and activities. The birthday became a genuinely dynamic and citywide fan-driven event as these cafés turned into meeting places where fans could communicate, celebrate, and show their love for V.
The numerous initiatives throughout Seoul demonstrate the commitment and inventiveness of V's fan base and demonstrate how profoundly BTS's impact permeates culture and urban life in addition to music.
V recently got candid about his bond with the bandmates and reflecting on life. He said that although he doesn't now consider himself to be strong, he hopes to develop into one. For him, being strong doesn't mean seeming unbeatable; rather, it means having emotional fortitude, self-awareness, and dependability for people who are important to him. He admitted that he is constantly learning from both everyday encounters and challenges, and that personal development is a continuous process.
