The “Truth” Behind BTS Jungkook’s Shirtless Cover For “Dazed UK”

BTS’s Jungkook is gearing up to grace the covers of Dazed UK’s 2023 Autumn issue. Though the full pictorial is yet to be released, the magazine cover was unveiled a few days ago, which sent the entire internet into a frenzy.

Dazed is a bi-monthly British lifestyle magazine founded in 1991 that covers a variety of entertainment, such as music, fashion, film, art, and literature. Jungkook is making history as the first K-pop act in history to be featured on its cover.

Fans’ high expectations from this historical cover were exceeded when Dazed released a preview of the cover, where Jungkook was posing shirtless. Sitting inside a car, holding onto the steering wheel, Jungkook sported a leather jacket over his bare torso. His lip piercings, unedited cheek scar, and smoldering look created the perfect “bad boy” image that netizens fell in love with immediately.

This is not the first time ARMYs have seen the BTS member shirtless. He went bare for the concept photos of his single “Seven” and even for his photoshoots with Calvin Klein as their global ambassador. But usually, when such photos drop, fans would blame the stylist for their suffering (or bliss) for putting together such hot outfits.

But it turns out, Jungkook is the one to be blamed, at least for this Dazed cover. Ahead of the Autumn 2023 issue’s release, the magazine put out a brief story from Jungkook’s interview. The writer intercepted his answers about finding his identity as an artist, his relationship with fans, and other interesting insights with some behind-the-scene anecdotes from the cover shoot. There, he mentioned that there was no “explicit agreement” over Jungkook doing a shirtless cover for the magazine.

There’s no explicit agreement that Jungkook will shoot shirtless for his Dazed cover shoot; none of the fits were planned for it.

— Dazed UK

Instead, it was Jungkook’s spontaneous decision to be styled like that. The writer added that after emerging from his dressing room with just the jacket on, he seamlessly struck the pose, sitting behind the wheel of a vintage Mercedes-Benz

But when he emerges from his dressing room, his torso is bare under a black leather jacket. This is what he’s decided he wants to wear. He silently slides behind the wheel of a vintage Mercedes-Benz, abdominals rippling. He stares down the camera lens, and he smoulders.

— Dazed UK

This revelation has drawn some hilarious reactions from fans, calling out the BTS member for “wanting them dead.”

what do they mean jungkook wasn’t supposed to be shirtless for dazed and HE decided to come out shirtless? pic.twitter.com/4XsdBTwL5d

— skya (@andfuckvmin) September 12, 2023

Taehyung saying chapter 2 isn't about being shirtless and jungkook then refusing to put a shirt on for part of his dazed photoshoot is sending me into orbit

— Vivi⁷ ᵇʸ ʲᵏ (@noodlekooo) September 12, 2023

Not dazed saying that jungkook decided to be shirtless on it's own and that there was no dressing code. He really wants us dead. ???? pic.twitter.com/qAiY5jQOQ1

— Vanillaaaa⁷||Joon's day! (@lovely7lavender) September 12, 2023

Jungkook also talked about the criticism against the explicit version of his song “Seven” during the interview. You can read about it here.