K-pop star Jin of BTS starts his military service in South Korea | BTS

Jin, the oldest member of the K-pop phenomenon BTS, was due to begin his mandatory military service on Tuesday at a base close to the border with North Korea, amid growing speculation about the band’s future.

The 30-year-old, now sporting a buzzcut, will be followed into the military by younger members of the band in the coming years, after their impending enlistment sparked a debate among South Koreans over whether the band, and other successful entertainers, should be granted exemptions.

Jin will spend five weeks at an army boot camp in Yeoncheon, located near the heavily armed border with North Korea, before being sent to a unit to complete his 18-month assignment.

After the band shocked fans by announcing they would take a break from performing, the band’s seven members announced in October that they would carry out their military duties.

All able-bodied South Korean men aged 18-30 are required to spend at least a year and a half in the military – a measure designed to maintain the country’s readiness for a potential conflict with the nuclear-armed North.

BTS are widely considered South Korea’s biggest cultural phenomenon – selling out stadiums around the world and dominating the charts, while raking in millions and building a global legion of fans known as the Army.

Their celebrity and huge earning power – they have generated billions of dollars for the South Korean economy – sparked a debate over whether stars in the entertainment industry should be permitted to skip military service or carry out alternative duties.

The law grants special exemptions to athletes, classical and traditional musicians, and ballet and other dancers if they have won top prizes in certain competitions and enhance national prestige. The exemption does not apply to K-pop stars and other entertainers, even those – like BTS – who have enjoyed global success.

“Though BTS members have opted to go to the military, there are still some sort of regrets,” said Jung Duk-hyun, a pop culture commentator. “Those in the pop culture sector experience little bit of disadvantages and unfairness, compared with those in the pure art sector or athletes. This will probably continue to be an issue of controversy so I wonder if it must be discussed continuously.”

Jin – whose full name is Kim Seok-jin – said he was ready in a post on the online fan platform Weverse. “It’s time for a curtain call,” he said on Tuesday.

On Sunday he posted a photo of himself sporting his new haircut along with a message that said: “Ha ha ha. It’s cuter than I had expected.”

The band’s label, Big Hit Music, had urged fans to stay away from the base, where new conscripts are seen off by their families. “We ask you to keep your heartwarming words of support and farewell in your hearts,” the label said last week.

But some did turn up, including Mandy Lee from Hong Kong, who was among the first to arrive. “I want to wait [for] Jin and see him go into the military and wish him all the best,” Lee said.

About 20-30 fans were waiting outside the camp, located about 45km from the demilitarised zone that separates the two Koreas – a relatively small number that suggests many had heeded calls to stay away.

Police officers closed off streets to prevent accidents, and officials deployed an ambulance at the site. The strict safety measures come weeks after a Halloween crush in Seoul in which 158 people died.

BTS fans were stunned in June when the group revealed it was going on hiatus, citing exhaustion and pressure, as well as the desire to pursue solo careers. But analysts said the announcement was timed to factor in military duty.

The group will reunite around 2025, when its six other members – RM, Suga, J-Hope, Jimin, V and Jungkook, who is the youngest at 25 – have completed their service.

“For a while, it’s true that there were many fans who would spend days just crying,” a South Korean fan, who runs the Twitter account @5heterotopia, told Agence France-Presse.

Nimah Mustafa, a 20-year-old fan in Dubai, added: “[Jin’s absence] will be like a huge … void for me.”

The seismic changes for BTS this year have sparked speculation among fans and K-pop watchers about what the future holds for the group.

Some male K-pop stars have struggled to resume their careers after military service, in a cut-throat industry where artists are easily replaceable.

“For the K-pop industry, the retreat of BTS will be a big deal,” Lee Taek-gwang, a professor of cultural studies at Kyung Hee University (KHU), told AFP. “During the absence, they could lose public interest, and the decline in popularity will damage their business. It would not be easy for the boyband to reunite.”

However, other experts have pointed to the massive success of BTS and said they could be an exception to that trend.

Since their debut in 2013, BTS have been widely credited with doing more than any diplomat or celebrity to boost the image and soft power of South Korea.

The group expanded its popularity in the west with its 2020 mega-hit Dynamite, their first all-English song that made BTS the first K-pop act to top Billboard’s Hot 100. The band have performed in sold-out arenas around the world and were invited to speak at the UN and meet Joe Biden at the White House.

Jin, the oldest member of the K-pop phenomenon BTS, was due to begin his mandatory military service on Tuesday at a base close to the border with North Korea, amid growing speculation about the band’s future.

The 30-year-old, now sporting a buzzcut, will be followed into the military by younger members of the band in the coming years, after their impending enlistment sparked a debate among South Koreans over whether the band, and other successful entertainers, should be granted exemptions.

Jin will spend five weeks at an army boot camp in Yeoncheon, located near the heavily armed border with North Korea, before being sent to a unit to complete his 18-month assignment.

After the band shocked fans by announcing they would take a break from performing, the band’s seven members announced in October that they would carry out their military duties.

All able-bodied South Korean men aged 18-30 are required to spend at least a year and a half in the military – a measure designed to maintain the country’s readiness for a potential conflict with the nuclear-armed North.

BTS are widely considered South Korea’s biggest cultural phenomenon – selling out stadiums around the world and dominating the charts, while raking in millions and building a global legion of fans known as the Army.

Their celebrity and huge earning power – they have generated billions of dollars for the South Korean economy – sparked a debate over whether stars in the entertainment industry should be permitted to skip military service or carry out alternative duties.

The law grants special exemptions to athletes, classical and traditional musicians, and ballet and other dancers if they have won top prizes in certain competitions and enhance national prestige. The exemption does not apply to K-pop stars and other entertainers, even those – like BTS – who have enjoyed global success.

“Though BTS members have opted to go to the military, there are still some sort of regrets,” said Jung Duk-hyun, a pop culture commentator. “Those in the pop culture sector experience little bit of disadvantages and unfairness, compared with those in the pure art sector or athletes. This will probably continue to be an issue of controversy so I wonder if it must be discussed continuously.”

Jin – whose full name is Kim Seok-jin – said he was ready in a post on the online fan platform Weverse. “It’s time for a curtain call,” he said on Tuesday.

On Sunday he posted a photo of himself sporting his new haircut along with a message that said: “Ha ha ha. It’s cuter than I had expected.”

The band’s label, Big Hit Music, had urged fans to stay away from the base, where new conscripts are seen off by their families. “We ask you to keep your heartwarming words of support and farewell in your hearts,” the label said last week.

But some did turn up, including Mandy Lee from Hong Kong, who was among the first to arrive. “I want to wait [for] Jin and see him go into the military and wish him all the best,” Lee said.

About 20-30 fans were waiting outside the camp, located about 45km from the demilitarised zone that separates the two Koreas – a relatively small number that suggests many had heeded calls to stay away.

Police officers closed off streets to prevent accidents, and officials deployed an ambulance at the site. The strict safety measures come weeks after a Halloween crush in Seoul in which 158 people died.

BTS fans were stunned in June when the group revealed it was going on hiatus, citing exhaustion and pressure, as well as the desire to pursue solo careers. But analysts said the announcement was timed to factor in military duty.

The group will reunite around 2025, when its six other members – RM, Suga, J-Hope, Jimin, V and Jungkook, who is the youngest at 25 – have completed their service.

“For a while, it’s true that there were many fans who would spend days just crying,” a South Korean fan, who runs the Twitter account @5heterotopia, told Agence France-Presse.

Nimah Mustafa, a 20-year-old fan in Dubai, added: “[Jin’s absence] will be like a huge … void for me.”

The seismic changes for BTS this year have sparked speculation among fans and K-pop watchers about what the future holds for the group.

Some male K-pop stars have struggled to resume their careers after military service, in a cut-throat industry where artists are easily replaceable.

“For the K-pop industry, the retreat of BTS will be a big deal,” Lee Taek-gwang, a professor of cultural studies at Kyung Hee University (KHU), told AFP. “During the absence, they could lose public interest, and the decline in popularity will damage their business. It would not be easy for the boyband to reunite.”

However, other experts have pointed to the massive success of BTS and said they could be an exception to that trend.

Since their debut in 2013, BTS have been widely credited with doing more than any diplomat or celebrity to boost the image and soft power of South Korea.

The group expanded its popularity in the west with its 2020 mega-hit Dynamite, their first all-English song that made BTS the first K-pop act to top Billboard’s Hot 100. The band have performed in sold-out arenas around the world and were invited to speak at the UN and meet Joe Biden at the White House.