BTS’s Jin Completes Military Service, Shares Emotional Reunion with Bandmates

After serving in the military for eighteen months, Jin, the oldest member of BTS, was released on Wednesday. His completion of his national service, which momentarily halted their musical careers, makes him the first of the group.

TV footage of the 31-year-old Jin, who was wearing a black beret and uniform, showed him hugging his fellow soldiers at a military installation in Yeoncheon, Gyeonggi province. “I cried throughout the ceremony,” Jin said during a webcast on the Weverse fan community site that attracted more than 3 million views. Still, the last six months and a half have been really fun. I’m happy to have met so many amazing people,” he said, thanking his military comrades.

Following Jin’s discharge, shares of HYBE, the BTS label, rose by 1.01%, while the benchmark KOSPI market rose by 0.35%.

Several BTS members who are in the military now took time off to honor Jin’s comeback. Rapper RM was one of them, greeting Jin with a saxophone version of their smash hit “Dynamite.”

As of December 2022, Jin became the first BTS member to complete the required service. The remaining four members started their service in December 2023, and the band intends to get back together in 2025 after their responsibilities are over.

Jin will perform and greet fans during an event in Seoul on Thursday to commemorate his discharge.

With their June 13, 2013, debut, BTS rose to prominence in K-pop, one of South Korea’s biggest cultural exports. All physically capable men between the ages of 18 and 28 are required by South Korean legislation to spend 18 to 21 months in the military or in social service. A 2020 legislative change, however, permits well-known K-pop artists to postpone their duty until they are thirty years old.