Photo: Collected
K-pop megastar Jin from BTS was discharged from his South Korean military service Wednesday (12 June) and feted by bandmates who hugged him, with RM belting out one of their hits on the saxophone to celebrate. The seven members of the world's most popular boy band have all been performing their service - which South Korea requires of all men under 30, due to tensions with the nuclear-armed North - with the K-pop juggernaut on a self-described "hiatus" since 2022.
Jin, the oldest in the band and the first to enlist, emerged from the gates of his army base in South Korea's northern Yeoncheon county early Wednesday, where he was met by bandmates J-hope, V, RM, Jungkook and Jimin. The bandmates, who have reportedly taken leave from duties to mark the day, presented a beaming Jin, still in his military uniform, with a giant bouquet of flowers, as they all hugged while RM played the saxophone, blasting out the hook of BTS's mega-hit "Dynamite".
His release comes just ahead of the 11th anniversary of the group's debut, with HYBE's office in Seoul plus some local cafes decked out in purple decorations to mark the occasion. Jin will participate in a "huggathon" on Thursday (13 June), where he will hug 1,000 fans who won a raffle held on Weverse, before giving his first performance in two years.
"It is significant that Jin did his military service without any problem, since for a K-pop male idol serving in the military is the biggest issue," for their career, said Yoo Sung-man, an analyst at Leading Investment and Securities. The next BTS member to finish will be J-hope, who will be discharged in October. The rest of the band will complete their service in June 2025.
Messenger/Hasan
