BTS member Jin, 31, celebrated the end of his mandatory 18-month South Korean military service on Wednesday (June 12). The seven-member group’s oldest singer is the first to complete his hitch in the army and a video posted by Reuters from his final day, he gleefully marked the moment by reuniting with his bandmates, who were all given leave to mark the special moment.
Wearing his army fatigues and a black beret, Jin — who served as an assistant drill instructor — accepted a bouquet of flowers and laughed as fellow BTS member RM greeted him with a performance of the their No. 1 hit “Dynamite” on saxophone at the military base in Yeoncheon, Gyeonggi province. “I cried during the ceremony,” Jin said in a Weverse livestream later in the day. “But it was so fun for the last year and six months. It’s such a relief I met so many amazing people.”
BTS’s agency, Big Hit Music, released a statement to fans on Weverse announcing Jin’s release, which read, “Jin is close to completing his active service in the army and will soon be discharged,” encouraging fans to not visit the base to avoid overcrowding.
In December 2022, Jin was the first member of BTS to enlist in the army, kicking off a three-year break for the global superstars that is expected to end in June 2025 after the final four members are released from service; at present, J-Hope, V, RM, Jimin, Jung Kook and Suga are still enlisted.
According to Reuters, Jin planned to celebrate his discharge at an event in Seoul on Thursday where he was expected to greet fans and perform a solo show featuring fan song requests. BBC reported that his first public event featured a raffle in which 1,000 fans queued up to hug the singer in a “hugathon” at the Seoul Sports Complex.
