According to local media, J-Hope, a star member of BTS, is expected to commence his mandatory military service in South Korea on Tuesday, making him the second member of the K-pop group to do so since their hiatus last year.
BTS has become a worldwide cultural phenomenon, dominating music charts, selling out stadiums and contributing billions to South Korea’s economy, while amassing a massive international fan base known as Army.
The South Korean military mandates that all able-bodied men must serve for a minimum of 18 months. After much debate about whether BTS deserved an exemption, the oldest member of the group, Jin, began his service in December.
On Tuesday, J-Hope, whose birth name is Jung Ho-seok, will commence his five-week basic training at an army boot camp located in Gangwon province.
Weverse Post
The 29-year-old shared photos of his new buzzcut on the South Korean social media platform Weverse on Monday.
“I love you, ARMY. I’ll go and come back safely!” he said.
The post attracted thousands of comments from fans, with many expressing sorrow over the group’s ongoing hiatus.
“Be careful and stay healthy… Say hi to Jin for us, please? We will miss you so much!” one wrote.
“It suits you so well,” another wrote of J-Hope’s buzzcut.
Jin left the comment “D-1” on one of J-Hope’s Weverse posts on Monday — a nod to the fact he had one day left before the start of his service.
The septet’s agency HYBE had confirmed on April 1 that J-Hope would begin his service, but did not disclose details “to prevent any issues that might occur from crowding”