BTS star Jin is set to start his military service next month, with his six bandmates also set to complete their mandatory stint in the South Korean military over the coming years.
Under the law in South Korea, all men who are able-bodied are required to complete 18 to 21 months of military service, largely to mitigate against the threat posed by their nuclear-ambitious neighbour North Korea.
While there can be exemptions given by the government to – for example – athletes, musicians and people who are of cultural importance to the country, BTS have confirmed that all members will do their national duty at some point.
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The first to take up that mission will be Jin, who will join up on December 13, according to South Korean publication Aju Business Daily.
It’s Jin’s 30th birthday on December 4, and he’ll join up with his unit after performing a five-week boot camp to get him up to speed with the skills he’ll need out there, reports suggest.
He had previously hinted in a social media post that he was headed for a ‘front-line’ position.
That means you’d assume he’ll be stationed near the border with Kim Jong-un’s nation.
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Last month, the company that manages BTS confirmed that all members will be heading off to perform military service over the coming years, adding that Jin – who is the oldest member of the K-Pop act – is set to revoke his request for exemption and be conscripted.
The other guys in the band – Jung Kook, Jimin, V, Suga, RM, and j-Hope – will also enter the military, as confirmed in a notice to financial regulators from Big Hit Music.
The mayor of Busan had recently asked for the president of South Korea to provide an exemption for the band so that they’d be able to support the city’s bid to host the 2030 World Expo.
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“Without solving the military service issue, BTS actively promoting Busan’s bid for the Expo might be impossible,” Park Heong-joon told President Yoon Suk-yeol.
That suggestion was dismissed by the defence minister in September, when Suh Wook said that it would prove ‘difficult’ to give them an exemption because of ‘aspects of fairness on fulfilling mandatory military service’.
In 2018, the South Korean football team – including Premier League star Son Heung-min – were granted exemption after winning gold at the Asian Games.
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In the end, Son completed a three-week training course instead of the full service.
After that, he said: “It was a good experience.
"I couldn’t say everything that I’ve done but I really enjoyed it.
“Those guys were nice. The three weeks were tough but I tried to enjoy it.
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“I don’t know how the people felt, but for me the three weeks have been long but it was a good experience, I enjoyed it.”
Topics: Music, World News, K-pop
Tom Wood