BTS Pre-Debut: The Year 2012

The timeline of Hoseok’s temporary departure from the group and Yoongi’s car accident is one of the most complex parts of BTS’s early history. Although there are some clues, the lack of detailed information makes it hard to pin down the exact dates.

Yoongi’s Accident

Yoongi has mentioned in interviews and in the song “The Last” that he was in a car accident that left him with a shoulder injury. He also talked about it in episode 3 of Burn the Stage, from minute 15:10.

BTS Suga (AGUST D) - The Last 마지막 [Lyrics Han|Rom|Eng]

According to Yoongi, he was 19 in Korean age when the accident happened, which corresponds to 2011 in the Western calendar.

Jimin was already in the group at the time of the accident, which suggests it happened in early 2012.

Hoseok’s Temporary Departure

Hoseok apparently left the group for an undetermined period, but the exact timing of his departure is still unclear.

We know Hoseok was not in the group when Yoongi had his accident, but he had already returned before March 2012, since he appears in a Jo Kwon video interacting with trainees, including Namjoon, Yoongi, Jungkook, Jin and Jihoon.

Interestingly, Taehyung does not appear in that video, even though he was already a trainee at the time, which adds more uncertainty to the timeline.

You can notice it in a post Jin made on the Bangtan Blog at Christmas 2011, sharing a Christmas song featuring RM, Suga and others: at no point is J-Hope mentioned or seen in the video.

Later, Jin posted some photos from the Christmas they spent together, and only 5 members can be seen: Jin, RM, Suga, JK and Taehyung (even though he was a secret, you can tell it was him), but Hoseok does not appear in any picture.

Supporting Evidence

In episode 3 of Burn the Stage (the series premiered on YouTube Premium), after Yoongi talks about the accident, Hoseok remembers when he left BTS and that Jungkook cried when he decided to leave. Namjoon makes it clear that he always told the company they needed J-Hope in the group, and Hoseok says he only came back to the company because he trusted the members.

Ep3 Just give me a smile | BTS: Burn the Stage

Jihoon, a trainee who lived with the members, never commented directly on Hoseok’s departure, but mentioned that he was in the dorm when Jihoon left, in mid-2012.

Considering Jihoon’s accounts and other events, Hoseok’s departure probably happened between December 2011 and May 2012, a period when Jimin was already part of the group.

Challenges in Defining the Timeline

The lack of details about how long Hoseok was away and the absence of clear records make it hard to establish a precise sequence. Still, the most likely events are:

1. Late 2011 to early 2012: Yoongi has the car accident, possibly while Hoseok was away from the group.
2. December 2011 to May 2012: Hoseok returns to the group and is seen interacting with other trainees in March 2012.

For much of 2012, Bangtan worked behind the scenes on several projects while continuing their training. During this period, Hoseok apparently left the group temporarily, possibly between late 2011 and early 2012, but came back in time to take part in the song “Animal”.

The timeline for the events of early 2012 is still uncertain, since the available information often contradicts itself. In this article, we present all the known data and do our best to propose a logical order, although definitive answers are still hard to come by.

Jimin joined Bangtan in early 2012. The generally accepted date for his move into the dorm is May 2012, and he often mentions that he was a trainee for about a year.

That date is backed by a Hip Hop Monster comic (shown below), apparently included in promotional material released during the O!RUL8,2? album activities.

Dates and Descriptions of Each Member Moving into the Bangtan Dorm, According to the Image

Rap Monster (RM)

• Move-in date: 08/14/2010
• First impression: “So this is where Bangtan lives…”
• The other members’ comments: “His presence is amazing!”

Suga

• Move-in date: 11/07/2010
• First impression: “H-hello (satoori).”
• Everything was new and strange to him, since it was his first experience.

J-Hope

• Move-in date: 12/24/2010
• First impression: “I look forward to working with all of you.”
• He was friendly and welcoming, like an older brother.

Jungkook

• Move-in date: 06/03/2011
• First impression: “I’m Jeon Jungkook.”
• The other members’ comments: “He has doe eyes~ so cute!”

V (Taehyung)

• Move-in date: 09/03/2011
• First impression: “He doesn’t talk…”
• At first the members wondered: “Isn’t he going to say hi?” V was very shy at the beginning.

Jimin

• Move-in date: 05/15/2012
• First impression: “Jimin-ssi? Hello!”
• The members thought: “He’s cute.”

Jin

• Move-in date: 07/29/2012
• First impression: “He looks cold… I think he’s going to be scary.”
• Later, they realized: “What, he’s actually sweet?”

One of the hardest questions about BTS’s 2012 timeline is figuring out exactly when Jimin joined Big Hit Entertainment. Although the traditionally accepted date is May 2012 (when he moved into the dorm), there are signs he may have joined the company a few months earlier for the timeline to make sense.

Evidence Based on Jihoon

• Jihoon, in his first impressions video, mentioned that Jimin joined the group about 5 to 6 months before he left.
• Jihoon explained that he joined Big Hit around June 2011, at the same time as Jungkook and Jin, and stayed for about 1 year, leaving around June 2012.
• Jihoon also revealed that he lived with all the members of the group except Jin, which suggests Jimin was already in the group before July 2012 (when Jin moved into the dorm).

Based on this, it seems plausible that Jimin joined the company between January and March 2012.

Timeline Analysis

The idea that Jimin joined Big Hit in early 2012 is strengthened by the fact that Jin also joined the company months before moving into the dorm. This suggests that joining the company and moving into the dorm did not happen at the same time, making it possible that Jimin was a trainee for a few months before officially moving in in May.

Considerations and Speculation

Although this analysis is consistent with Jihoon’s timeline and other reported events, it is still speculation. Without official documents or confirmation, it is hard to establish the exact date with full certainty.

That said, the window between January and March 2012 seems to make the most sense given the available accounts.

June 2012: Appearance in Jo Kwon’s MV

Most of the group (Jin, Yoongi, Hoseok, Taehyung and Jungkook) appeared as actors or background dancers in Jo Kwon’s “I’m Da One” MV.

[JoKwon] I'm Da One M/V

Hoseok had a standout role on Jo Kwon’s song “Animal”, writing his own rap. This was an important moment, since Hoseok became the first Bangtan member to be officially credited at KOMCA (the Korea Music Copyright Association).

Jo Kwon - Animal(feat.Jung Ho-suk aka JHope of BTS), 조권 - 애니멀(feat.정호석) Music Core 20120630

Collaborations and Music Credits

In earlier collaborations, only the group as a whole was credited at KOMCA. However:

• Namjoon, Iron and Supreme Boi were officially credited for “Love U, Hate U” on the Japanese copyright page.
• Namjoon also worked behind the scenes, writing for Big Hit’s girl group GLAM on their debut track “Party (XXO)”, released in July 2012.
• Jimin made a brief cameo in the “Party (XXO)” MV, most visible around 1:56.

GLAM(글램) _ Party(XXO) MV

Dahee, a GLAM member, was the voice of the vocaloid SeeU. Meanwhile, Suga, Hoseok, Jimin and Jungkook worked as backup dancers for the group’s live performances.

Glamorous - GLAM ft SeeU live in Inkigayo

Jungkook’s Trip to Los Angeles

In late July and early August 2012, Jungkook traveled to Los Angeles to study dance for a few weeks.

The group’s choreographer, Son Sungdeuk, went with Jungkook on the trip. Bang Si-Hyuk (Bang PD) tweeted a photo of Jungkook and Son Sungdeuk, but first labeled it as Hoseok before correcting the mistake.

호석이가 아니라 정국이 ㅋ RT @hitmanb: LA에서 춤연수하며 개고생(?)중인 빅히트의 손성득 퍼포먼스 디렉터와 방탄크루 호석이 ㅋㅋㅋ 화이팅이다! http://t.co/eSLKchch

— hitman (@hitmanb) August 4, 2012

Jungkook later shared his experience in the United States in a detailed post, published in two parts on the Bangtan Blog in February 2013.