BTS member Jin enlisted in the army on Dec. 13, the start of his 18-month military service that will see him deployed to the frontline near the border of South and North Korea.
Jin, aboard a vehicle, entered the 5th Infantry Division recruit training center in Yeoncheon, Gyeonggi Province in South Korea under 2 degrees Celsius weather.
He entered the camp directly before 2 p.m. without greeting fans or the media as part of the safety measures imposed to avoid any crowding.
A convoy of vehicles entered the camp at about 1:45 p.m. KST. Korean media reported that the vehicles carried Jin and other BTS members. The vehicles were pre-registered without the need for soldiers to check the IDs of the passengers at the entrance.
Korean TV channel SBS broadcast a live feed of the Jin's enlistment on YouTube that was watched by more than 29,000 viewers.
Outside the camp, a balloon banner floated with the words “BTS, Welcome Kim Seok-jin and all the soldiers to the Army.”
Since morning, media and fans gathered outside the training camp to wait for Jin’s arrival. Police were deployed around the entrance to the camp for security.
Jin was one of the reported 200 recruits who entered the training camp for their mandatory duty as citizens.
Inside the camp, Jin will undergo five weeks of basic military training before he is deployed to his unit.
Jin is the first BTS member to enlist in the military. He will be followed by Suga, born in 1993; J-Hope and RM, born in 1994; Jimin and V, born in 1995; and Jungkook, born in 1997.
On Dec. 11, Jin posted a photo on Weverse showing him sporting a buzz cut for his military service. On the morning of Dec. 13, Jin posted on the Weverse app and wrote, “Now it is time for curtain call,”
The hashtag #SafeFlightOurAstronaut trended on Twitter as fans wished Jin the best on his military service and said they will wait for his return.
Jin will serve as an active duty soldier for 18 months and he will be discharged on June 12, 2024.