Newsnomics AJAY ANGELINA reporter | Kim Seok-Jin, the oldest star of K-pop mega-band BTS, has begun his 18 months of mandatory military service at the Army Division Recruit Training Center, South Korea on Tuesday December 13, the first of the group to do so.
A 30 years old Jin, entered the boot camp at Yeoncheon, a tower near the tense border with North Korea for five weeks basic military training together with fresh cadet soldiers. After getting the training of rifle shooting, grenade throwing and marching practices, Jin and other cadets would be assigned to army units across the country.” Said the South Korean defense ministry.
According to the big hit music Industry, Jin quietly went towards the Military camp without any farewell event. “There is no separate official event on the day of enlistment at the boot camp,” and asked “fans to refrain from visiting the site to prevent safety accidents due to congestion at the site.” agency said.
A Day before, an army official of the Ministry of National Defense said, “For on-site safety control, the army, local governments, and related organizations will operate a general situation room in consultation, and the fire department will have ambulances on standby in preparation for emergency patients.”
An interesting thing regarding the military service plan for Jin, “it will not be very different from our regular
soldiers.’’ An army official said.
Jin posted a photo of himself with his new military haircut before enrolling on Tuesday. "It looks cuter than I
expected," he said.
"I won't be able to see you in public for a while, but I'll come back with good music next time," Jin said when his bandmate J-Hope made a call on stage to him at the 2022 MAMA Awards in Osaka, Japan. "Everyone, I'll be back safely from the military."
Six others younger BTS members RM, Suga, Jimin, J-hope, V and Jungkook are also to join military services in coming years one after another, meaning that the world’s mega band must take a hiatus, likely for few years.
Big hit music said, “both the company and the members of BTS are looking forward to reconvening as a group again around 2025 following their military service commitment.”
With lawmakers squabbling at Parliament and surveys showing sharply split public opinions over offering exemptions to BTS members, their management agency said in October that all members would perform their mandatory military duties.”
As South Korea is still technically at war with its hostile neighbor North Korea, all able-bodied men are required to serve in the army.
