BTS’ Jin Is Expected To Begin His Military Service Very Soon
He’ll be the first member of BTS to start their mandatory service.
Jin is getting ready to enlist. In October, the group’s agency, BigHit Music, announced Jin would be the first member of BTS to begin his mandatory military service in the South Korean army following the release of his first solo single. Jin’s song “The Astronaut” dropped on Oct. 28, and BigHit is now providing an update on his military service.
In a Dec. 6 statement on Weverse, BigHit said Jin will enlist soon but did not state the date he’ll do so. While BigHit said an entrance ceremony will take place for “military personnel and their families,” the agency made it clear there will not be “any kind of official event on the day of his recruitment.”
As a result, BigHit asked fans to respect Jin’s privacy when he begins his military service at a recruitment training center. “In order to prevent any issues that might occur from crowding, we ask fans to please refrain from visiting the site,” they said in their statement. “Instead, we ask you to keep your heartwarming words of support and farewell in your hearts.”
On Nov. 24, Jin shared a message on the Weverse App in which he also asked fans not to visit his training center. “It could be dangerous because the place will be crowded with many people besides me who are coming,” he said, before telling fans, “ARMY, I love you.”
According to Billboard, able-bodied men in South Korea were originally required to enlist in the military by the time they turned 28. However, since the South Korean National Assembly passed the “BTS Law” in December 2020, K-pop stars can now postpone their service until the age of 30. Jin turned 30 on Dec. 4.
While neither BigHit nor Jin has revealed an exact date for his enlistment, multiple Korean news outlets like Yonhap News Agency and KBS News reported on Nov. 24 that Jin will enlist on Dec. 13. According to NME, the Korean outlets reported that unnamed sources in the Korean military claimed Jin is set to embark on a five-week training program at a recruitment center in Yeoncheon, Gyeonggi-do before his deployment.
NME also reported that BigHit responded to these claims in a Nov. 24 statement to Koren publication Ilgan Sports. “It is difficult to confirm. We ask for your generous understanding,” the company reportedly said.
Jin also responded to rumors regarding his enlistment date on Weverse. “Reports have come out against my will, but our ARMYs (BTS fans), should not come to the training center,” Jin said in a Nov. 24 statement, according to a translation by CNN.
BigHit reiterated in their Dec. 6 statement that fans should not get involved in Jin’s enlistment, specifically deterring them from visiting his training center on “unauthorized tours” or illegally buying products using Jin’s intellectual property. “Our company will take necessary action against any attempts at commercial activity making unauthorized use of such IP,” they said.
BigHit first announced BTS’ enlistment plans in an Oct. 17 statement on Twitter. “BigHit Music has focused to the milestone moment when it would be possible to respect the needs of the country and for these healthy young men to serve with their countrymen, and that’s now,” they wrote.
BigHit confirmed that after Jin enlists in the military, the other members of BTS will follow suit before the group gets back together sometime in 2025.
