South Korea’s military receives a new recruit on Tuesday: Jin, the oldest member of K-pop phenomenon BTS, starts his 18-month obligatory countrywide service, complete with a newly shaven head.
As a few 300 navy, police and fire officials tightened security round what will be his boot camp inside the eastern county of Yeoncheon – where frontline troops are deployed on defend in opposition to North Korea – dozens of fans accumulated to bid Jin farewell for now, braving freezing temperatures with snow forecast for the afternoon.
In October, BTS announced they would sign up for mandatory navy provider, starting with Jin. The organization plans to pursue character initiatives and reunite in 2025 in spite of everything seven participants have finished their responsibilities.
Jin, who turned 30 on December 4, had postponed the start of his service for the most permissible time. After 5 weeks of training on the boot camp, located about 45 kilometres (28 miles) from the heavily fortified Demilitarized Zone that separates the two Koreas, he will be deployed to a but-to-be exact unit.
“Now it is time for a curtain call,” Jin wrote on BTS fan platform Weverse early on Tuesday. He had published a image of his shaved head on Monday, joking that it was “cuter” than he had imagined.BTS’ management, Big Hit Music, stated there could be no respectable occasion and asked enthusiasts to chorus from travelling to the boot camp mentioning safety concerns and rather “cheer from hearts”.
South Korea requires all capable-bodied men elderly between 18 and 28 to serve within the military for about two years, a degree that has long been a source of controversy.
A 2019 revision of the regulation allowed globally known K-pop stars to postpone carrier until the age of 30.
Some lawmakers had sought to shorten the term for the ones artists extensively, a perk enjoyed by using Olympics and Asian Games medal winners in addition to some classical musicians and dancers, however a bill to legislate for the trade continues to be pending in parliament.