BTS: What K-Pop Star Jin's Life Is Like In The Military
Jin, who comprises one-seventh of the K-pop boy band, BTS, released a YouTube video announcing his enlistment in the armed forces. Per Variety, at some point, all members of BTS are going to have to join the South Korean army as military service is compulsory for every able-bodied man below 30. The ARMY's idols will be in the army themselves — albeit potentially facing a tad more danger daily than your average fan club member. So, if you suddenly hear a strange, cracking noise, it'll be the sound of millions of members of the BTS ARMY's hearts shattering into tiny little pieces.
Spieltimes ranked each band member's popularity by their number of Instagram followers. Not surprisingly, V, real name Kim Taehyung, and Jungkook, full name Jeon Jung-kook, were the cream of the K-pop top. They had 58.6 million and 51 million followers, respectively. The numbers have since shifted considerably, with Junkook skyrocketing up to 107 million followers and V dropping slightly to 58.4 million.
Meanwhile, Jin, whose full name is Kim Seok-jin, ranked five out of the seven. But save your tears; it still means he has 45 million adoring followers. In Jin's video, taken before his enrollment in December, he explains, "I won't be a civilian anymore by the time this is out." He beseeches fans to stick with him until he's free again. So, what's K-pop star Jin's life like in the military? Is he strolling along easy street or on high alert guarding the DMZ?
Boot camp seems more summer camp
BTS K-pop star, Jin, left ARMY members in tears with his enlistment announcement. "Whenever I am available, I wish to leave these videos and records once every few months to share with you as much as possible, even if it's just checking in briefly," Jin said. He vowed that despite not being there in person, he'd return soon, promising to upload another video for fans when he has the time. So, what's K-pop star Jin's life like in the military?
In April, Jin posted an update on his armed forces experience. And well, it doesn't look much different from regular life — or rather, regular people's regular life and not K-pop superstars' regular life. Jin admitted he shouldn't be posting videos now that he's enlisted. "I was just having a drink," he explained. "And I wanted to leave a message for you." Jin pondered the month of April and said he wished he could pull some April Fool's Day pranks, but decided it's probably not wise, given he's in the military.
Jin rated his looks, determining that he is very handsome. He admitted to being "a little tipsy" and then confessed his face was flushed from all the drinks he'd had. So it appears that Jin managed to down more than a few adult beverages during a break from his rigorous and grueling military training regime.
Military service selfies
Jin explained in a live Weeverse video (via MCN News) that he was on holiday when he made the "tipsy" video. Jin completed his 100th day of service and, because of "excellent behavior and remarkable performance," was rewarded with four days off. Jin packed a ton into the impromptu break. In two days alone, he attended Jimin's solo concert, enjoyed a night out with the lads at his Seoul restaurant, and, "being the obedient son he is," arranged a birthday dinner for his mom.
Jin's also been squeezing in some military service selfie time. "I'm enjoying my life," he captioned a series of pics of him decked out in full camouflage, one showing him flashing the peace sign. "I'm posting a picture after getting permission from the military. ARMY, be happy and take care." There's no doubt that out of the millions of ARMY members worldwide, Jin is his biggest fan of all. He loves to talk about how beautiful, handsome, and pretty he is. "Even cuter than I thought," Jin captioned a shot showing off his new military buzz cut back in December.
Meanwhile, the rest of BTS' military future is now clearly defined. J-Hope's next up for enlistment, so Jin talked to his bandmate about his own military experience. Which must have made for a short discussion. Going by the BTS Weeverse Instagram account, J-Hope's already had his buzz cut and is ready to roll. "I'll go and come back soon!" he promised the ARMY.