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SEOUL, South Korea (AP) — J-Hope, a member of well-known K-pop group BTS, arrived at a training camp on Tuesday to begin his mandatory military service, becoming the second member of the group to join the ranks. South Korean army.
A heated public debate ensued in 2022 over whether BTS members should receive special exemptions from military service, until the group’s management agency announced in October that its seven members would fulfill their obligations.
Jin, 30, the oldest member of BTS, became the first to enlist in the army in December and cancel his request to defer enlistment.
Footage broadcast on South Korean television on Tuesday showed a black van likely carrying J-Hope to the training camp in Wonju, 90 kilometers (55 miles) east of Seoul. Hybe Corp., the parent company of BTS’ Big Hit Music management agency, later confirmed that the 29-year-old singer had entered the field.
“I love you, army. I’ll see you again,” J-Hope, whose real name is Jung Ho-Seok, wrote in a post Monday on fan platform Weverse, along with photos of him wearing a crew.
Five other younger members of BTS — RM, Suga, Jimin, V, and Jungkook — will join the South Korean army one by one over the next few years. This means that the best boy band in the world will not get back together as a group until a few years later.
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Associated Press writer Kim Tong-hyung contributed to this report.
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