BTS K-pop star Jin finishes 18 months of army service in South Korea

Jin, the oldest member of the K-pop phenomenon BTS, has been discharged from South Korea’s army after 18 months of duty.

He was the first member of the group to wrap up the mandatory national service that put their music careers on hold.

Jin, 31, wearing a uniform and a black beret, appeared emotional on Wednesday as he hugged his colleagues at a military base in Yeoncheon, Gyeonggi province.

“I cried during the ceremony,” Jin said later during a live stream which racked up more than three million views on the Weverse fandom platform.

“But it was so fun for the last year and six months. It’s such a relief I met so many amazing people,” he added, sending regards to his colleagues at the military base.

Shares of HYBE, the label that houses BTS, jumped 1.01 per cent in early trade while the benchmark KOSPI index rose 0.35 per cent.

South Korean media reported several other members of the septet who are currently serving in the military applied for leave to celebrate the occasion.

Among them was rapper RM, who greeted Jin with a saxophone to play the group’s hit single Dynamite.

Jin became the first member of the group to enlist in the military in December 2022. The final four members of the group began their service in December 2023, with the band expected to reunite in 2025 after they all complete their duty.

Jin plans to celebrate his discharge with an event in Seoul on Thursday where he will greet fans and stage a performance.

The group debuted on June 13, 2013, and has since become the face of K-pop, one of South Korea’s largest cultural exports.

South Korea requires all able-bodied men between the ages of 18 and 28 to serve between 18 to 21 months in the military or social service, but it revised the law in 2020 to let globally recognised K-pop stars delay signing up until age 30.