All the BTS members went to the recruitment site to see Jin off as he started his training period at the boot camp.
Jin (real name Kim Seok Jin, 30), the oldest member of the world-renowned K-pop group BTS, joined the military on Dec 13th. Social discussions have been held over whether BTS will be exempted from military enlistment, but the members have declared that they will fulfill their military service. BTS plans to continue the members’ individual activities for the time being and resume their full-fledged group activities by 2025.
On Dec 13th, Jin entered the boot camp of the 5th Infantry Division in Yeoncheon, Gyeonggi Province. After five weeks of basic military training, he will be deployed as an active-duty soldier in the army. His scheduled date of discharge is June 12th, 2024.
As announced through his agency in advance, Jin went straight into the precinct without any farewell greeting or photo time in front of the unit. This is a measure to prevent safety problems that may occur if a crowd gathers. Earlier, Jin left a message on the fan community Weverse asking fans not to come to the scene, saying, “It can be dangerous due to the crowd because there are many other people aside from me.”
Although many domestic and foreign fans and reporters gathered in front of the boot camp, it was not a worrisome crowd. Fortunately, there was a relatively calm atmosphere in front of the center without any accidents. Banners and advertising balloons were hung everywhere to welcome Jin’s enlistment. The military and local governments deployed more than 300 workers and put ambulances on standby on the day in case of an emergency.
All BTS members accompanied Jin on the scene. It is reported that they also had lunch before bidding farewell to Jin. At 1:45 p.m., six black vehicles lined up at the boot camp, and it was confirmed to be the vehicles of Jin and other staff. The vehicle was lined up again at 2:50 after the entrance ceremony and they left the site.
Jin debuted as a member of BTS in June 2013, and became very popular with his warm visual and refreshing voice. He announced his plan to enlist in October this year and later worked on his solo single “The Astronaut,” on which he collaborated with the band Coldplay.
Other members of BTS are also expected to join the military sequentially. Suga (real name Min Yoon Gi, 29), whose enlistment postponement is until next year, recently received the result that he would serve his duty as a social service worker, not active duty. No specific reason was disclosed. However, it may have been related to his shoulder injury as he had a car accident while working part-time before his debut and had a ruptured joint and pure suture surgery on his shoulder in 2020.
Source: Daum
