Big salute to Jin for completing his mandatory military service instead of trying to find some kind of exemption to get out of it:
Jin, the oldest member of K-pop supergroup BTS, was discharged from his 18 months of mandatory military service Wednesday, with fans worldwide eagerly anticipating his return to the music scene.
After hugging his fellow soldiers in turn during a brief, teary farewell ceremony inside the 5th Army Infantry Division in Yeoncheon, 61 kilometers north of Seoul, the singer walked out of the compound at about 9 a.m. to be welcomed by his bandmates.
During his service, he served as an assistant drill instructor at the Army recruit training center there.
After saluting in front of the main gate, Jin received a bouquet of flowers and was seen smiling brightly as he reunited with five of his bandmates — J-Hope, RM, Jimin, V and Jungkook. RM, currently serving in a military brass band, marked the occasion with a celebratory saxophone performance of the band’s megahit single “Dynamite.”
Yonhap
You can read more at the link.
With such short mandatory service times in Korea there is not much training V is going to receive to make him a very effective special operator. I wonder if he volunteered for this unit or the ROK military put him in it for publicity reasons?:
Photos of K-pop supergroup BTS member V in the gear of a counter-terrorism unit have been unveiled, a Facebook page on the South Korean military showed Thursday.
Images of V wearing pitch black Special Duty Team (SDT) attire were released Wednesday on the page, which serves as an anonymous bulletin board for military service members.
V enlisted in the military last December for his mandatory service and was accepted to join the military police during boot camp training, according to the Army.
The BTS member has since been assigned to the SDT, which focuses on counter-terrorism and other special operations, under the Army’s 2nd Corps.
Yonhap
You can read more at the link.
Unlike those that have avoided the mandatory military service obligation in Korea, I definitely have respect for the BTS members who are putting their lives on hold to serve their country:
The remaining four members of K-pop megastar BTS — RM, Jimin, V and Jungkook — will begin their mandatory military service next month, music industry sources said Wednesday.
According to the sources well informed of the matter, RM and V will enlist on Dec. 11, followed by Jimin and Jungkook the next day.
In South Korea, all able-bodied men are required to serve in the military for about two years. The members were allowed to postpone their military service until the end of the year when they turn 30, under a conscription law revised in 2020.
Yonhap
You can read more at the link.
Another BTS member is taking the first steps to complete his mandatory military service obligation:
BTS artist j-hope began the enlistment process for his stint with the South Korean military, his record label announced, making him the second member of the Korean-pop group to do so.
The rapper-singer, whose real name is Jung Ho-seok, applied to end his postponement of the mandatory 18-month service.
“We will inform you of further updates in due course,” BIGHIT Music wrote on Weverse. “We ask you for your continued love and support for j-hope until he completes his military service and safely returns. Our company will spare no effort in providing support for our artist.”
The 29-year-old follows fellow BTS star Jin, 30, who began his mandatory service in December. South Korea requires most men to enlist in its military by age 28, but entertainers can push back their stints until they’re 30.
Stars & Stripes
You can read more at the link.
Add this to the list of things you can’t do in South Korea, sell a K-Pop star’s lost hat:
Prosecutors have summarily indicted a former foreign ministry employee on charges of attempting to sell BTS member Jungkook‘s lost hat online for 10 million won (US$7,950), legal sources said Tuesday.
The former government employee, whose identity has been withheld, allegedly shared a photo of the bucket hat on an online flea market, claiming the K-pop superstar had left it at the ministry building in Seoul when he visited to apply for a passport.
The seller further said he had acquired the ownership of the hat since no one came to claim it for six months after it was reported as lost property. Following controversies, he deleted the post and surrendered voluntarily to police.
The Seoul Central District Prosecutors Office investigating the case has summarily indicted him, seeking a punishment of fines for embezzlement charges.
Yonhap
You can read more at the link.
