Now it's curtain call time: BTS member Jin bids fans farewell as he joins military

The eldest member of the South Korean music group BTS, Jin, bid farewell to a number of his fans on Tuesday morning as he reported for his required military service.

Before departing for his service, the 30-year-old vocalist posted a message to ARMY, BTS's fan club, on the online fan community Weverse.

"Now it's curtain call time," he wrote in Korean in reference to a character called 'Jhin' in the video game 'League of Legends'.

"I wanted to do it when I went to the army," said Jin, who is a gaming enthusiast.

According to BigHit Music, the management company for BTS, Jin will arrive at the recruit training facility in a car without introducing himself to the press or the fans separately.

The Seoul-based corporation has also pleaded with the ARMY and journalists to avoid overcrowding the spot.

According to a statement from the BTS agency and cited by the entertainment website Soompi, "there is no separate waiting space for reporters."

The Korean media said that Jin will begin a front-line army division's boot camp in Yeoncheon, 60 kilometres north of Seoul, on Tuesday, citing military and business sources.

All physically fit men between the ages of 18 and 28 are required to serve a two-year military enlistment in South Korea.

Jin showed his military haircut in a selfie he posted on Weverse on Sunday night.

BigHit Music had previously stated that the other members, including RM, Suga, J-Hope, Jimin, V, and Jungkook, intend to fulfil their military obligations in accordance with their own personal arrangements.

The group, which made its debut in 2013, is currently taking a hiatus as a whole as each member works on individual projects. In June, they made their hiatus official.

Following their service commitment, BTS aspires to come back together as a group in 2025.

With PTI inputs