Busan, Jimin's hometown, never tires of showing their pride in one of their own who has now become one of the most influential people globally. Other than absolutely excelling in his career, being the highlight of performances [read here], and having been crowned as one of the members of the 'Elite Dance King Line' that comprises the 3 top dancers in the K-pop industry [read here], Jimin has also had a tremendous economic impact that has greatly benefitted his country. He has repeatedly been cited as the power behind the increased consumption of Korean foods abroad [refer here and here]. Recently, he caused Jeju Island to become a tourism hot spot after his visit there in December of 2021 [refer here]. He is the unbeatable Brand King as the idol who has ranked 1st in Brand Reputation for individual male idols for 35 consecutive months as of November 2021 and 40 months overall as of April 2022, something that no other idol has ever achieved. Thus, it is not surprising that his hometown and K-media affectionately accorded him the title of the 'Prince of Busan.'

On May 6, KBS News, one of the major broadcasting stations in South Korea, reported that one of the candidates for the mayoral position in Busan, candidate Lee, had pledged to create a street for Jimin as part of a plan to build a tourism infrastructure for the city.

Just a few days ago, the Busan Tourism Organization had revealed plans to promote a product that follows Jimin's footsteps among the travel programs that tourists of the city of Busan would be able to experience this year. 

The tourism organization stated that 'under the keyword of 'convergence of tourism,' Busan's famous tourist destinations and food will be combined to make it an experiential tourist destination.' "Wouldn't they be able to enjoy Busan even more?" stated the organization's president, adding that he is promoting convergence tourism products such as experiential tourism in connection with the restaurants that Jimin liked.

Prior to this, the city of Busan had installed a photo zone on Oryukdo Island in Busan, that Jimin has introduced through a vlog, and it is quickly gaining attention globally, with fans from all around the world paying a visit to the zone.

In addition, the Busan Tourism Organization had also introduced centers of attraction related to Jimin with the title 'Popular places to visit in Busan, Geumjeong-gu, Busan, Jimin's hometown recommended by BTS fans (ARMY),' a project that also gained an overwhelming amount of response and caused it to win the 'Best Booth Operation Award' at the 22nd Busan International Tourism Exhibition, further demonstrating the unparalleled 'Jimin Effect.' 

Jimin's birthday in 2021 saw a multitude of domestic fans making a procession to visit the entire outer wall wrapping event of Konkuk University Common Ground, which immensely boosted the economic dynamics with increased consumption. Consequently, the commercial regions around the birthday project venue also experienced an unexpected economic boom. The positive economic impact prompted the extension of the birthday project period, another demonstration of Jimin's economic ripple power. 

Such Jimin-themed locations are evidently a major attraction to tourists, both domestic and international, and it can be understood why candidate Lee would want to put up a Jimin Street, both to honor him and to boost the economic dynamics in the city.

The president of the Busan Tourism Organization had also mentioned Jimin in an interview, saying that if a simple restaurant was introduced as a place where Jimin had visited, then the visitors would enjoy their trip to Busan even more.

The news of a 'Jimin Street' has been well received by fans who agree that Jimin's impact indeed deserves the recognition, while also being in awe of just how much Jimin is loved in his hometown. Here are some of their reactions.

No one deserves the title of 'Prince of Busan' more than Jimin does.