The second member of the K-pop sensation BTS to enlist in the army is J-Hope, who on Tuesday reported to a South Korean boot camp to begin his 18-month mandatory military service. There was a contentious public debate in 2022 about whether to grant BTS members special exemptions from their obligation to serve in the military, but in October, the management company for the group made the announcement that all seven members will carry out their obligations.
After withdrawing his plea to put off his conscription, Jin, the oldest member of BTS at 30 years old, enlisted in the army in December. Tuesday afternoon, a South Korean TV video showed what they described as a black minivan pulling up to the boot camp in Wonju, which is roughly 90 kilometres (55 miles) east of Seoul. Later, the management company for BTS, Big Hit Music, owned by Hybe Corp., verified that the 29-year-old singer had arrived at the camp.
In the upcoming years, each of the five other younger BTS members will enlist in the South Korean military
After arriving by hired buses decorated with prominent images of J-Hope and messages wishing for his safety while serving, dozens of supporters descended upon the area surrounding the base. There were no initial reports of safety-related mishaps despite the fact that authorities mobilised soldiers and police personnel to keep the peace. Fans, who refer to themselves as the “Army,” have been appealed to by Big Hit Music not to visit the location for safety reasons.
“I love you, Army. I’ll see you again,” J-Hope, whose real name is Jung Ho-Seok, said Monday in a message posted on the online fan platform Weverse, with photos of himself with a military buzz cut. In the upcoming years, each of the five other younger BTS members RM, Suga, Jimin, V, and Jungkook will enlist in the South Korean military. That implies that the biggest boy band in the world will likely reform a few years later. All physically capable men in South Korea are required by law to serve 18 to 21 months in the military as part of a conscription system designed to deter attack from rival North Korea.
Athletes, classical and traditional musicians, and ballet and other dancers are all given specific exemptions under the law if they have won top honours in competitions and are considered to have increased national status. Such benefits are not available to K-pop artists or other celebrities. This sparked a heated domestic debate about whether it was time to change the law to include entertainers like the members of BTS as exceptions. Jin, who turned 30 in December, was on the verge of being drafted since South Korean legislation forbids most men to put off serving after age 30.
The band was founded in 2013
At the National Assembly, legislators sparred over the matter, and a number of public polls revealed drastically divergent views on potential service exemptions for BTS members. At the time, Lee Jong-Sup, the South Korean defence minister, stated that it would be “desirable” for BTS members to carry out their responsibilities to advance justice in the armed forces of the nation.
Exemptions or dodging of military duties are highly sensitive issues in South Korea because the draft forces young men to suspend their studies or professional careers. BTS was founded in 2013, and when its 2020 megahit “Dynamite,” the group’s first entirely English song, made BTS the first K-pop act to top Billboard’s Hot 100, it gained more fame in the West. According to a statement made by Hybe Corp. in October, each band member will initially concentrate on personal projects timed to coincide with their military service plans.
