[5] While in junior high school, he was scouted by South Korean K-pop agency SM Entertainment off the street, but rejected the offer at the time.

[7] Jin was scouted by Big Hit Entertainment for his looks while walking down the street[8]—he was studying acting at the time and had no background in music[9]—and subsequently auditioned as an actor for the company before becoming an idol trainee.

[17][18] In October, Jin was awarded the fifth-class Hwagwan Order of Cultural Merit by South Korean president Moon Jae-in alongside his bandmates.

[23] In 2016, Jin collaborated with bandmate V on the single "It's Definitely You", released as part of the Hwarang: The Poet Warrior Youth original soundtrack,[24][25] and later received a co-nomination for Best OST at the 2017 Melon Music Awards.

[14] Jin's solo covers include "Mom" by Ra.D, "I Love You" by Mate, and "In Front Of The Post Office In Autumn", originally by Yoon Do-hyun in 1994.

An acoustic ballad inspired by his feelings of anxiety, doubt, and burnout, Jin co-wrote and co-composed the track with RM and record producers Bumzu and Pdogg.

In a post to the official BTS blog, Jin spoke about his insecurities regarding music and how those darker emotions drove him to write and release the song.

[37][38] On December 4, Jin released the short trot-style song "Super Tuna" via SoundCloud as a gift to fans in celebration of his 29th birthday.

A subsequent dance challenge arose on TikTok, with videos using the sound receiving over 141.8 million cumulative views in 10 days.

The project was chronicled in the form of a two-episode mini web series, Office Warrior Kim Seok Jin, published to MapleStory Korea's YouTube channel.

[49] Following his discharge from the military in June 2024, Jin hosted a fan event at Jamsil Arena in honor of BTS' 11th anniversary,[50] then served as a torchbearer for the South Korean delegation at the Summer Olympics in Paris.

[66][67] In the 2019 novel BTS: The Review, members of the Grammy panel praised Jin's stable breath control and strong falsetto, calling it a "silver voice".

[68] Journalist Choi Song-hye of Aju News noted that BTS' singles such as "Spring Day" and "Fake Love" displayed Jin's vocal stability, while the B-side "Jamais Vu" showcased his emotional range.

[6] Hong Hye-min of The Korea Times described Jin's voice as "tender, sorrowful, [and] free-spirited" and considered it to be the "standout element" on the solo ballad "Epiphany".

[69] Critic Park Hee-a, discussing "Epiphany", stated that Jin "sings the most sentimental emotions" of the solo tracks on Love Yourself: Answer (2018).

[70] In December 2018, Jin donated food, blankets, and dishes for the Korean Animal Welfare Association to celebrate his birthday.

[80] Park Rok-dam, veteran alchohol artisan who previously appeared in Jin's web show The Drunken Truth, will lend his expertise to the brand as well.

[82][83] On October 17, 2022, Big Hit announced that following the release of "The Astronaut" and the completion of its subsequent promotional activities at the end of that month, Jin would begin the enlistment process and carry out his mandatory military service.

On November 4, 2022, Jin filed paperwork with the Military Manpower Administration (MMA) requesting a termination of the postponement in order to proceed with his conscription.