“I’ll see you again”: J-Hope Enlists for Mandatory Military Service After Fellow BTS Member Jin
Arguably one of the world’s most successful boy bands, BTS, announced a hiatus to fulfill their mandatory military services in South Korea in 2022. Although, the news came as a surprise to the fans eagerly waiting for the upcoming projects and concerts of its favorite band, the ‘Army’ powered through. The fans celebrated the bittersweet but proud moment and wished them luck on their journey.
J-Hope is now ready to fulfill his duties toward his country and follow in the footsteps of his fellow band member Jin. He left his fans some sweet parting messages on his various social media platforms before joining the boot camp. although the fans are lamenting his absence from the industry, his supporters are pretty optimistic and full of hope for his return in the year 2025.
J-Hope starts his mandatory military service
J-Hope of the world-famous boy band BTS, on April 18th, entered the South Korean boot camp to fulfill his duty towards his nation as a citizen. He left behind a huge number of admirers to serve his country for 18 months, becoming the second member of the band to do so. Some footage was captured by a South Korean media company showing a black minivan carrying the artist to his destination, which was in this case a boot camp in the eastern city of Wonju.
The news of confirmation came from Hybe Corp, the parent company of BTS’s management agency, moments after the footage was leaked to the general public.
Many fans gathered at the entrance of the base camp to show their support for J-Hope, although police officers were stationed to look after any safety violations, the management company of BTS, Big Hit Music had to plead with his fans not to create havoc.
Although the announcement of their enlistment sparked an outpouring of support many urged and debated over the fact whether there should be any special cases to treat such exemptions like this. For J-Hope himself, the decision to enlist was undoubtedly a difficult one. He had to put his career on hold and say goodbye to his fellow members, who he had spent years working and touring with. However, he also recognized the importance of fulfilling his duty to his country and serving as an example for others.
J-Hope’s message for his fans
The talented singer, rapper, songwriter, and producer Jung Hoseok, popularly known as J-Hope left a sweet parting message for his fans on Weverse. He wrote,
“I love you, Army. I’ll see you again,”
The artist also shared a picture of himself on Instagram sporting his military buzz cut. He also held his last official live session on Weverse, some days prior, to interact with his heartbroken fans. The rapper said,
“Please don’t be too upset, since I’m doing my duty as the healthy youth. So what I wanted to tell is to you guys to not worry and I’ll go and come back well. ‘Please eat well’. Yes of course, as I told you guys, don’t worry, I’ve been eating really well.”
J-Hope also shared his thoughts about other members of the band saying,
“Even though many years have passed, my love for the members, just like you guys, I treasure them fiercely. They are my bros whom I love so much, even if we compare and stack (my love and your love for the boys) against each other, I might not lose. I can’t say I’ll win but I won’t lose easily.”
And to further conclude he stated his thoughts and opinions on his military service. He stated,
“To be honest, I am kind of looking forward to it. What I will look like when I come back. I’ll go guys. I’ll try to come visit you once in a while like Jin hyung.—-Have a good night, sweet dreams. Don’t forget about me. Love you. Please stay healthy and make sure to cheer for our members. I’ll go now, guys. I don’t wanna press the ‘end’ button.”
As J-Hope begins his military service, fans will undoubtedly miss him. However, they can take comfort in the fact that he is doing something important for his country and that he will be back soon enough. In the meantime, they can continue to support BTS and each other, and remember the positive impact that J-Hope has had on their lives.
Source: Instagram
