December 13, 2022, 01:40 PM
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Kim Seok-jin, better known as Jin to his legion of fans, will commence his five weeks of military training starting Dec. 13 before being assigned to a unit, AFP (Seoul) reported.
The 30-year-old is a member of one of the biggest South Korean boy bands.
BTS goes army
Earlier on Oct. 17, South Korean entertainment company HYBE confirmed that all members of the boy band will be serving mandatory military service, with Jin being the first member to be enlisted.
The band had earlier announced that the members would be going on a hiatus in June 2022, leaving their fanbase, known as “BTS Army", heartbroken over their expected long absence from the Korean pop industry.
The members had cited exhaustion and pressure as reasons for their hiatus, as well as their wish to engage in solo projects, according to AFP and Reuters.
Deployed to the frontline
According to Yonhap News, it is mandatory for all able-bodied men to serve between 18 and 21 months in the military.
The news outlet also reported that Jin would be serving active-duty military service in Yeoncheon, a county located 60km north of Seoul and situated along the Korail railroad line that connects Seoul, South Korea and North Korea.
The BBC reported that some fans were concerned about the fact that Jin would be deployed to a frontline unit, as they apparently assumed that he would be given a less risky role.
Cadets have told the BBC about the challenging environment at the Yeoncheon bootcamp, especially with winter approaching.
Jin bids farewell (for now)
Earlier in October 2022, Jin began the process of bidding farewell to thousands of fans in Buenos Aires, Argentina, where he performed his new solo debut single "The Astronaut" with the British rock band Coldplay.
The single reached a sales figure of 700,000 on the first day of its release, according to Yonhap News.
On Dec. 12, Jin posted on the South Korean social media platform Weverse, showing a photo of himself sporting a military-style hair, along with the caption, “It’s cuter than I expected.”
Twitter users have since circulated the photo around.
jin weverse post
— 윤서⁷ (slow) (@btsinthemoment) December 11, 2022
🐹 kekekekekeke cuter than i thought pic.twitter.com/5ntZ1cEy6E
OSEN reported on Dec. 12 that BTS’s entertainment agency, Big Hit Music, a subsidiary under HYBE, said there will not be any separate official event on the day of Jin’s admission to the bootcamp.
The agency was also quoted as saying that the site “will be very crowded due to enlisted soldiers”.
The company also told fans to stay away from the families-only entrance ceremony, urging them to keep their words of support and farewell in their hearts, AFP reported.
Twitter is now trending with the hashtags "#SafeFlightOurAstronaut", "#UntilWeMeetAgainJin" and "#WeWillWaitForYouJin" and "#seokjin", which make reference to Jin's solo song and his enlistment.
come back safely our astronaut♡#SafeFlightOurAstronautpic.twitter.com/A20r7w6u1x
— daily bts doing things⁷ (@btsdointhings) December 12, 2022
We will wait for you, Jin! 💜#WeLoveJin #SafeFlightOurAstronaut#UntilWeMeetAgainJin#따뜻한겨울끝을지나_우리다시만나#석진이_없어도_울지않고_기다릴게 pic.twitter.com/wl2Eg8WBYx
— ARMY VOTING TEAM⁷ (@01Btsxarmy1) December 13, 2022
Big deal in K-pop industry
BTS, an acronym of Bangtan Sonyeondan, was formed in 2010 and debuted in 2013.
The band has since become one of the most successful boy bands in the world and is considered a global culture powerhouse, according to AFP.
They have also been invited to important diplomatic events, such as their meeting with the U.S. President Joe Biden in May 2022 and their address at United Nations General Assembly in September 2021.
South Korean pop culture has become a economic growth generator.
Lee Taek-Gwang, a communications professor at Kyung Hee University, told the media outlet that BTS could potentially lose public interest and popularity during their hiatus, with many new groups debuting and competing in the cutthroat Kpop industry.
Others, such as a BTS expert and professor at Hankuk University of Foreign Studies Lee Ji Young, noted that the level of success that BTS has achieved differentiates them and that BTS would not be forgotten even after their hiatus, according to AFP.
BTS is expected to reunite in 2025, when all of its seven members have completed their compulsory military service.
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Top images via WeVerse/Jin & Getty/JNI/Star Max
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