Yeontan, the beloved dog of BTS member V, real name Kim Taehyung, has died.
V announced Yeontan’s death on Monday in a heartfelt statement via his Instagram story, first greeting fans with a new song “Winter Ahead” that he released with fellow singer Park Hyo Shin.
“Hi ARMY, are you having a warm end of the year? I’m glad the weather isn’t too cold yet! It seems like it’s been a while since I last greeted ARMY with music,” V wrote, according to a Soompi translation.
“I have fond memories of preparing the duet with my beloved Hyo Shin hyung, and also of Bing Crosby’s Christmas carol, which I deeply respect, which will be released soon. Time flies, and it’s already December.
Actually, the reason why I’m writing this post today is that Yeontan recently went on a long journey to the dog stars. I thought a lot about how to tell you, but I felt it was right to share this news with ARMYs, who have shown so much love to Yeontan.
I would be grateful if you could remember Yeontan and wish his happiness even among the stars.
I hope you have a warm end to the year where you can tell your loved ones that you love them once again.
I wish ARMYs to always be healthy until the day we meet again! I love you. Thank you.”
In a subsequent Instagram post, V shared two videos of Yeontan with the caption, “Mr. Kim Yeontan,” in memory of the beloved pet he adopted in 2016.
The black and brown teacup Pomeranian was first introduced to fans in a live broadcast to celebrate colleague Jin’s birthday in 2017. Yeontan has since gained admirers through appearances in social media posts, vlogs and videos musical. The dog made a cameo in V’s “Winter Bear” music video and was also featured as an inspiration for his debut solo project Stopover cover. V revealed that he went to great lengths to include Yeontan on the album, including using a doggy-style stunt double in his “Rainy Days” music video when he couldn’t take him to Madrid, where the video was filmed.
In a video with PIXID from 2023, the “Love Me Again” singer revealed that he was aware of Yeontan’s ongoing health issues at the time of the adoption. It was revealed that Yeontan had undergone two previous heart surgeries, both of which failed.
