Jin, a member of the K-pop group BTS has been discharged from South Korea’s army.
Hundreds of thousands of people tuned into a livestream of Jin’s military discharge.
BTS, an acronym of Bangtan Sonyeondan or “Beyond the Scene,” is a Grammy-nominated South Korean pop phenomenon.
Jin, whose full name is Kim Seouk-jin, had carried out 18 months of duty and is the first member of BTS to wrap up the mandatory national service that put the group’s music career on hold.
The 31-year-old is the oldest member of the K-pop group and appeared emotional as he hugged his colleagues at a military base in Yeoncheon, Gyeonggi province.
He was wearing his army uniform and a black beret.
“I cried during the ceremony,” he later said.
“But it was so fun for the last year and six months. It’s such a relief, I met so many amazing people.”
According to South Korean media, several members of BTS applied for leave to celebrate the occasion, including rapper RM, who played the group’s hit single Dynamite on a saxophone.
Jin was the first to enlist
Jin was the first member of the group to enlist in the military in December 2022.
Four other members of the ensemble began their military service a year later in December 2023.
The boy band is expected to be reunited after they all complete their duty in 2025.
Jin has plans to kick off his post-army activities with an hour-long performance in Seoul.
K-pop is one of South Korea’s largest cultural exports and BTS have been at the forefront of this after debuting as a group in 2013.
The country requires all able-bodied men aged 18-28 to serve in the military or social service for a minimum of 18 months.
In 2020, it changed the law to accommodate globally recognised K-pop stars, allowing them to delay signing up till the age of 30.
ABC/Reuters