BTS’ Jimin Making ‘Speedy Recovery’ After Appendicitis Surgery, COVID Treatment

BTS’ Jimin is in the hospital after undergoing surgery for appendicitis and testing positive for COVID, according to the group’s label Big Hit Music. The Korean singer is “currently recuperating” after the procedure and is expected to make a “speedy” recovery.

Jimin experienced “sudden abdominal pain” and a “mild sore throat” on Sunday, Jan. 30, and was taken to the emergency room that day, the label said in a statement posted to Weverse. He was diagnosed with acute appendicitis and tested positive for COVID, with doctors performing surgery on the singer early Monday morning. “He will be receiving a few days of inpatient treatment for COVID-19 in conjunction with post-operative care,” the statement read. “The surgery was successful and Jimin is currently recuperating after his procedure.”

Jimin is expected to stay in the hospital for several days and continues to have a “mild sore throat.” The label added that the singer was not in contact with the group’s other members — V, Jungkook, Suga, Jin, RM, and J-Hope —  while he was infectious. (RM, Jin, and Suga tested positive for coronavirus in December and made a quick recovery.) “The company places the artists’ health as our top priority and we will do everything we can to aid Jimin in his speedy recovery,” the label added. “We will also diligently cooperate with the requests and guidelines of the healthcare authorities.”

The South Korean group, which recently headlined four sold-out shows at Los Angeles’ SoFi Stadium, is currently on an “extended period of rest” for the first time since 2019. “The period of rest will provide the members of BTS who have tirelessly committed themselves to their activities, a chance to get re-inspired and recharge with creative energy,” a statement from Big Hit Music read at the time. “It will also be the first time for them since their debut to spend the holiday season with their families.”

BTS appeared on the cover of IndieLand last year. The group spoke about their “incredible success” in the United States and how their virality has sparked change. “Our existence itself is contributing to the hope for leaving this xenophobia, these negative things, behind. It’s our hope, too, that people in the minority will draw some energy and strength from our existence,” RM said last May. “The fact that we have faced success in the United States is very meaningful in and of itself.”