BTS’s J-Hope Enlists in the South Korean Military

It’s another emotional day for the BTS ARMY, as J-Hope is now the second member in the group to enlist in the Korean military.

On April 17, the day before he headed off, J-Hope shared a handwritten note on Instagram that read, “I will return healthy and well,” along with a photo of his new army-ready buzz cut. He also posted two pictures on Weverse, captioning them with a message to fans: “I love you ARMY 🫡💜 I’ll be back safely!”

That same day, J-Hope hung out with Jimin, who posted a photo of his own on Weverse of the pair together, captioning it with a simple purple heart emoji.

Before J-Hope’s enlistment, Big Hit released a statement on April 1 announcing his impending service and asked fans to respect his privacy throughout the process. “We thank all the fans for your continued support for BTS and would like to update you on J-Hope’s upcoming enlistment into the military,” the label said in a statement (via Soompi).

Big Hit added: “Please note that there will be no official event on the day of his entry. The entrance ceremony is a time to be observed by military personnel and their families only. To prevent any issues that might occur from crowding, fans are advised to refrain from visiting the site. Instead, we ask you to keep your heartwarming words of support and farewell in your hearts. . . . Thank you.”

While fans respected Big Hit’s request and were not at J-Hope’s entrance ceremony, his BTS bandmates were there to see him off. Suga, RM, Jimin, V, Jungkook, and surprisingly even Jin (who enlisted in December 2022) attended. The group posted a photo from their sendoff on their joint Twitter, captioning it, “J-Hope, love you!”

제이홉 사랑해💜 pic.twitter.com/vEJ6hGehnQ

— 방탄소년단 (@BTS_twt) April 18, 2023

RM shared one of the photos on his Instagram Story as well, captioning it, “See you soon . . . brother.”

All able-bodied men between 18 and 28 must serve for about 18 months in the South Korean military. However, BTS were granted a deferral in 2020 based on merit because of their global accomplishments in music, allowing them to delay their duties until the age of 30. On Oct. 17, 2022, Big Hit announced all seven members of the group would carry out their military duty in turn, cutting off years of speculation and interest as the Korean government weighed possible alternative options to traditional service for the globally famous band.

While fans will miss J-Hope now that he’s officially enlisted, some may be comforted knowing that Jin recorded monthly vlogs for fans to enjoy throughout his term and remains relatively active on Weverse, posting comments and photos semiregularly. So they can look forward to seeing J-Hope here and there on Weverse as we eagerly wait for his service to be completed!