BTS member V has officially crossed 75 million Instagram followers, becoming the first Korean male celebrity to reach the milestone and the most followed male K-pop soloist on the platform.
The 75 million mark, recorded around July 7, 2026, also places V second among male pop stars worldwide on Instagram, just behind Justin Bieber, and around 49th overall. Hitting that tier while fronting luxury fashion shows and a new global soju campaign has turned his @thv account into proof of real solo star power, not just group fame.
How BTS V Hit 75 Million Instagram Followers
V opened @thv on December 6, 2021, the same day the other BTS members launched their personal accounts. Within 43 minutes he had 1 million followers, and he passed 10 million in under five hours, achievements that Guinness World Records recognized and that still stand.
From there, growth never really slowed. He became the first South Korean male celebrity to hit 70 million Instagram followers in January 2026, then added another 5 million in roughly six months to reach 75 million in early July.
- First Korean male celebrity and first male K-pop solo artist at 75 million
- Second among male pop stars on Instagram after Justin Bieber
- About 49th worldwide by follower count and sixth male musician to cross 75 million
- Among Korean male artists, Jimin follows with more than 58 million
For scale, Korean coverage notes that V is now operating in the same general follower universe as global giants like Selena Gomez and Dwayne Johnson, even if sports stars such as Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi still dominate the very top. Some fan commentary has already started wondering if his personal account could one day overtake the official BTS account, which sits in the high 70 million range.
From Guinness Records To Social King Status
Part of what makes the 75 million figure stand out is how V uses Instagram. Despite a relatively small number of posts, fans flock to his mix of tour photos, luxury campaigns, travel snaps, and personal touches like a profile image honoring his late dog Yeontan, pushing his engagement rate higher than many similarly sized accounts.
Data cited from HypeAuditor has ranked him number two in global Instagram influence and number one on TikTok, with V also leading Google search volume among Asian celebrities. He reportedly reached 10 million TikTok followers in record time for a Korean entertainer, which helped cement the “social king” label that Korean media often uses.
Offline, those numbers translate into impact. When V attended Celine’s Spring or Summer 2027 menswear show in Paris during the European leg of BTS’s Arirang World Tour, coverage noted that his appearance generated about 22 million social media interactions in just 24 hours.
JINRO And Celine Prove V’s Solo Brand Power
Brands have clearly taken notice of V’s 75 million Instagram followers. On July 3, 2026, HiteJinro named him the first global ambassador for its flagship soju label JINRO, the world’s best selling distilled spirits brand for 25 consecutive years. The company sold 94.5 million cases in 2025 and reported a 9 percent jump in overseas sales that year.
A 19 second teaser released on July 9 introduced V as the face of the campaign. In the clip, he appears in Oreo blond two tone hair, holding a bottle of Chamisul and a JINRO branded box as an elevator door opens, accompanied by a caption teasing “the guest we have been waiting for.” He follows former domestic ambassador IU, becoming the first artist to represent JINRO on a fully global level.
Combined with his front row presence at Celine’s Paris show and BTS’s ongoing Arirang World Tour dates in Europe ahead of North America, the JINRO deal shows how V’s 75 million Instagram followers are already shaping what kinds of campaigns, visuals, and collaborations global fans will see next.