The first member of the K-pop group BTS to join is BTS star Jin, who began his required South Korean military service on Tuesday.
The septet is widely regarded as the nation's biggest-ever cultural phenomenon, selling out stadiums throughout the globe, topping the charts, earning billions of dollars, and amassing an army of followers known as ARMYs.
However, all physically capable males in South Korea are required to spend at least 18 months in the military, and despite a protracted argument about whether BTS deserved a waiver, the group announced in October that every member will enroll.
Jin — whose full name is Kim Seok-jin — will begin five weeks of training on Tuesday, the military said.
Yonhap news agency reported the star is expected to be deployed to a “frontline” unit near the border with North Korea, with which South Korea remains technically at war.
The group will reunite around 2025 when its seven members have completed their military service.
The septet is widely regarded as the nation's biggest-ever cultural phenomenon, selling out stadiums throughout the globe, topping the charts, earning billions of dollars, and amassing an army of followers known as ARMYs.
However, all physically capable males in South Korea are required to spend at least 18 months in the military, and despite a protracted argument about whether BTS deserved a waiver, the group announced in October that every member will enroll.
Jin — whose full name is Kim Seok-jin — will begin five weeks of training on Tuesday, the military said.
Yonhap news agency reported the star is expected to be deployed to a “frontline” unit near the border with North Korea, with which South Korea remains technically at war.
The group will reunite around 2025 when its seven members have completed their military service.
