Yeontan, the beloved dog of BTS member V, whose real name is Kim Taehyung, has died. V himself announced the news on December 2, 2024, via a heartfelt statement posted to his Instagram stories.
V addressed fans in a note directly by first mentioning the release of “Winter Ahead,” his new Christmas duet with Park Hyo Shin, before changing the topic to Yeontan’s passing.
“Time flies, and it’s already December,” the star wrote, per a translation by Soompi. “Actually, the reason I’m writing this post today is that recently, Yeontan has embarked on a long journey to the dog stars. I thought a lot about how to tell you this, but I felt it was right to share this news with ARMY, who have shown so much love for Yeontan.”
“I would be grateful if you could remember Yeontan and wish for his happiness even in the stars,” V added. “I hope you have a warm end of the year where you can tell your loved ones that you love them once more.”
V accompanied his statement by sharing two videos of himself playing with Yeontan as C. James’s song “Streetlights” played in the background. He posted one of the videos, with a bunch of more pictures, to his main grid in memory of his pet. “Mr. Kim Yeontan,” he wrote in the caption alongside a black heart.
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V first introduced fans to Yeontan, a black and tan Pomeranian, during Jin's birthday broadcast in 2017. Since then, Yeontan became a staple in V’s life, often showing up in vlogs, social media posts, and even music videos. Yeontan had a sweet cameo in V’s video for “Winter Bear” and was a key part of the iconography for V’s debut solo album Layover, serving as the main inspiration for the album art and accompanying visuals. Yeontan was so integral to the album that V revealed he had to get a double to act as his beloved dog in the video for “Rainy Days,” as he couldn’t fly him to Madrid, where the video was shot.
In a video with Pixid from 2023, V revealed Yeontan’s health struggles, sharing he had undergone heart surgery twice and both had been unsuccessful. To say Yeontan will be missed would be an understatement.
