K-Pop icons Jimin and Jung Kook have officially completed their mandatory military service in South Korea, making them the last members of BTS to be discharged.
On Wednesday, they appeared in military attire, saluting as they greeted the fans who had gathered to celebrate their release from the hospital.
Jung Kook expressed gratitude to the press and fans who traveled to see them, acknowledging the unusual feeling of stepping back into the spotlight. “It’s been a while since I last faced the camera without makeup, so I’m a bit shy,” he admitted. “I’m not quite sure what to say.”
The pair had enlisted in December 2023, just a day after RM and V. RM was discharged just the day before their release. They received a warm welcome from around 200 fans in Chinchon City, including supporters from Mexico, Türkiye, and Brazil.
In a heartfelt gesture, Jung Kook thanked the fans for their patience and teased the band’s inevitable reunion, saying, “If we can hang in there a bit longer, we’ll return with an amazing performance.”
The group’s seven members are expected to reunite in 2025, after completing their military obligations.
While six of the members are serving in the Army, Suga is fulfilling his duties as a social service agent, an alternative to traditional military service, and is expected to be discharged later this month.
Jin, the eldest member, was released in June 2024, and J-Hope followed in October.
Under South Korea’s conscription system, all healthy males aged 18 to 28 are required to serve between 18 to 21 months in the military, primarily due to threats from North Korea.
Exemptions exist for top-tier athletes and artists, but K-Pop stars generally don’t qualify. Nonetheless, in 2020, BTS was able to defer their service until age 30 thanks to a legal revision that allowed K-Pop stars to postpone enlistment.
The discussion around potential exemptions for BTS intensified in 2022. Ultimately, in October of that year, it was confirmed that all seven members would fulfill their military duties.
