It almost feels like fate that Jungkook ended up joining BTS. Long before he was known as the group’s “Golden Maknae,” he was a teenager unsure of which path to choose, courted by multiple agencies after his appearance on Superstar K3.
In a recent interview, BIGHIT MUSIC’s casting director Noh Min Mi opened up about the crucial moment she first met him, a story she still describes as a “miracle.”
Noh Min Mi recalled joining the company after RM and j-hope were already trainees in place. It was during her first hands-on casting work with Suga that she encountered Jungkook.
She first saw him during Superstar K3, where the Seven singer stood out among thousands of hopefuls. She explained
There was a boy with bright, sparkling eyes and such a cute look. It was exactly like people say, as if he was glowing. I thought: ‘Wow, what a wonderful boy!’ Almost as if I was under a spell, I handed him my business card, got his contact info, and let him go.
But Jungkook was already attracting attention and receiving a flurry of cards from other K-pop agencies. She shared that representatives from major K-pop labels waited in front of Seoul Station to meet him for 5 minutes.
Noh feared that they might lose him, so she boldly proposed to the company that they skip the usual audition process. Instead of following the standard process of auditions and evaluations, the company decided to sign Jungkook immediately to prevent losing him to rivals. Noh explained,
I turned to the company: ‘What will we do? I think he cannot be missed.’ And unexpectedly I heard in response: ‘If you are sure, then let’s sign a contract right away.’
That led to direct negotiations with Jungkook’s father, who questioned why BIGHIT was offering a contract without an audition. Noh responded with conviction that she saw “huge potential” in his son.
The director recalled that her very first phone call with Jungkook left a lasting impression. When she dialed his number, the waiting melody that played was a song by 2AM, a group BIGHIT was managing at the time. This led to longer conversations with Jungkook’s father. Not long after, he personally reached out and told her the family had decided to sign with BIGHIT.
Looking back, Noh Min Mi recalls it all seems destined,
It really was like fate: both that his father believed in our company, and that the management was willing to sign without an audition, the way those three things aligned still amazes me to this day.
While Noh may have signed him, it was the BTS leader, RM, who made Jungkook stay. He has stated in interviews that it was RM’s charisma and talent that compelled him. Despite other major agencies chasing him, it was RM—“so cool,” as Jungkook put it—that convinced him to join the label.
More than 12 years on, he shines worldwide as the group’s youngest member and a thriving solo performer. After debuting solo in 2023, he achieved many historic firsts, and it’s just the beginning. After spending 1.5 years away from the spotlight due to military service, he is now back and working on group music in the US with his groupmates.