BTS member J-Hope bid farewell to his fans and posted pictures of his new buzz-cut look on social media on 17 April, just ahead of his enlistment for South Korean military service.
The 29-year-old is the second BTS member set to enter mandatory military service after Jin, who enlisted on 13 December 2022.
Military service is compulsory for all able-bodied men in South Korea who are between the ages of 18-35. The period of service can be between 18 and 21 months.
All BTS members are set to enlist over the next couple of years before reuniting as a group in 2025.
More about J-Hope’s military enlistment
K-pop idol posts pictures on social media
In his social media post on Instagram, J-Hope expressed his love for the fans and shared a picture showing him with his military-approved buzz cut.
“I will return healthy and well!!” he wrote on a paper in his own handwriting in Korean, a picture of which was posted to his account. The following picture showed the singer with his new hairstyle.
J-Hope captioned the post with the words “I’ll have a good trip!!” in Korean.
View this post on Instagram
In an almost similar message which he posted on Weverse, J-Hope said, “I love you ARMY…I’ll go and come back well.”
BTS member Jimin, too, posted a picture on Weverse showing him with J-Hope.
Jimin on Weverse
— BTS Charts & Translations (@charts_k) April 17, 2023
Date of enlistment not known
Though BTS’ agency, Big Hit, had in February said that J-Hope will be enlisting for his military service soon, the exact date is not known.
But citing local media, Reuters reports that J-Hope would be enlisting on 18 April.
It is noteworthy that when Jin was entering his military service, the agency had requested fans to stay away from the boot camp where he was set to enlist.
J-Hope and Jimin had visited Jin in March. Pictures that Jin posted on his Instagram showed him in army fatigues flanked by his bandmates. The caption in Korean read “Welcome.”
View this post on Instagram
Jin, whose real name is Kim Seok-jin, is set to serve a total of 18 months with the South Korean Army.
Solo projects released
Like other members, J-Hope has been busy with solo works since the iconic K-pop group announced a break early in 2022.
He has released his debut solo album Jack in the Box, a Disney+ documentary J-Hope IN THE BOX, and a new solo single “On the Street” featuring a verse from J. Cole.
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(Main image: BTS Charts & Translations/@charts_k/Twitter; Featured image: jhope/@uarmyhope/Instagram)
This story first appeared on Lifestyle Asia Kuala Lumpur
