BTS member Jin begins military service in the South Korean army

About 270 riot police were deployed and ambulances were on standby around the main recruitment training center, where Jin enters training camp in A frontline division in Yeoncheon County, on the border with North Korea.

BTS member Jin: What do you know about mandatory military service in South Korea?

Recruitment of Korean celebrities often attracts fans and journalists who try to catch a glimpse of the stars before they leave the public eye for nearly two years. Dozens of reporters and photographers have been waiting since early Tuesday for Jane’s arrival. However, fans were largely absent-minded after Jin told the “BTS Army” — the official name for the band’s multi-million fan base — that he wouldn’t be coming.

Instead, the training center was lined with colorful streamers rooting for the K-pop star, including one carried by giant balloons into the sky. One banner read, “Kim Seok-jin, you have been a world to us.”

The day of registration at the training center is usually busy with recruits and their families exchanging emotional goodbyes. The 30-year-old singer joins boot camp with a group of about 200 other recruits, many of them younger than he is.

All healthy South Korean men between the ages of 18 and 28 must serve at least 18 months in the country’s armed forces, but government-recognized K-pop stars like Jin can defer their service until age 30.

The K-pop heartthrob caused a stir on social media earlier when he revealed his freshly shaven head. The South Korean military maintains strict grooming standards, including hair length regulations. “He’s cuter than I thought,” he said in a message posted to the Weverse fan community on Sunday.

Jin will undergo a physically demanding five-week basic training course before being assigned to a military unit. Army trainees learn basic skills like how to walk, shoot and throw a grenade.

The other six members of BTS are expected to fulfill their draft commitments based on their individual schedules. BTS, hailed as the biggest boy group in the world, plans to reunite as a group in 2025 after they complete their service. They traveled to the border town of Yeoncheon with Jin to see him off in person, according to HYBE.

Jin made his solo debut in October with the single “The Astronaut”, which sold over 1 million copies.