BTS' Jin discharged from military, reunites with other members

Jin, the oldest member of BTS, has finished his required military service. On June 12, he received his military discharge. BTS members RM, J-hope, V, Jungkook, Jimin, and Suga greeted Jin warmly as he walked through the Army Division.

In a widely shared video, Jimin offers Jin a warm pat on the back as BTS leader RM plays the saxophone. A number of images and videos from their emotional reunion have been making the rounds online. The entire group is seen posing for a group photo in one of the images. "Jin is back" balloons were placed on the wall.

Three-four months before he was to be released from South Korea's mandatory military service, BTS member Jin started the countdown. In December 2022, Jin—real name: Kim Seok-jin—entered the military. Jin simply posted "D-100" on Weverse, NDTV reported.

Enthusiastic fans responded to Jin's news with a barrage of tweets and comments. A fan wrote on X (previously known as Twitter), “Can't wait for him to return.” Another one wrote, "Just a little more patience, Jinie. Just 100 days more, and you're back. Our Moon is going to come home soon." "Can't wait for your dad jokes," teased a fan. Yet another comment read, "He really couldn't wait. We look forward to Kim Seokjin's return…”

For those who don't know, Jin started his 18-month military duty at a boot camp close to the border with North Korea. After training for five weeks with other soldiers, he was posted to an army unit. His bandmates came together to support their 'Hyung' as he was about to enlist in the military.

Rapper RM, the leader of BTS, revealed that Jin did not say much when he first enlisted. He stated, "Like the eldest, Jin said that he'll experience all of it first and let us know how it goes.”

Jin used his signature sense of humour to write a farewell post on Weverse before he enlisted. He made reference to the video game character "Jhin" from League of Legends and said, "Now it's curtain call time."

A video of BTS members saying goodbye to Jin at his entrance ceremony at the training facility was also released by BangtanTV. Jin gave followers his word that he would return safely in his message to the BTS ARMY.

RM and V enlisted in the military in December 2023, with Jimin and Jungkook following suit at a later time. Once their mandatory duties are finished, the seven members of BTS are anticipated to be back together in 2025.