K-Pop Star Begins Military Service

K-pop mega-band BTS, Jin begins his military service.

He is currently the oldest member of K-pop mega-band BTS.

The 30-year-old had posted a photo of himself with his new military haircut before enlisting on Tuesday.
“It looks cuter than I expected,” he said.

Jin has begun five weeks’ training at a bootcamp near the North Korean border.

After this, he will reportedly be assigned to a frontline unit. This news sent his millions of adoring fans into a frenzy.

At the Yeoncheon bootcamp, where Jin has enrolled, recruits sleep on mats on the floor, in rooms with 30 people. They are taught how to handle weapons and fire live ammunition before being put through demanding wartime scenarios.
“I was pretty nervous to hold the grenade and shocked to learn how powerful it was,” said 22-year-old Yang Su-yeon, who completed his training at Yeoncheon last year.

“It was physically demanding, but mentally it was okay. The drill sergeants were all friendly,” Yang said.

After training, Jin will reportedly be stationed near the North Korean border, with a frontline unit.

“My advice to Jin is to just bide his time and pray it passes quickly.”

“At school, I had only mixed with people from the same background, but in the army, everyone was so different. I realised how much bigger and more diverse the world was.”

His advice for Jin is to enjoy this experience. “As a top star, he will not have had much opportunity to meet normal people. This will be good for him, I think.”

Online, tens of thousands of fans have already messaged Jin to offer their own advice and tell him how terribly they will miss him.