J-Hope is second BTS member to start military service: 'I love you ARMY, I’ll be back safely'
The singer wants to complete his military service "as soon as possible and return to my fans and show you guys a more mature version of myself".
BTS's J-Hope before and after shaving his head for military enlistment. (Photo: Instagram/uarmyhope)
Another BTS member has reported for military duty. This time, it’s J-Hope and he’s said to have enlisted on Tuesday (Apr 18) at an army recruitment centre in Gwangwon, according to South Korean media.
“I love you ARMY, I’ll be back safely,” the 29-year-old K-pop star addressed his fandom on his social media accounts on Monday night, sharing a photo of himself saluting with the ubiquitous buzzcut.
In another picture posted on Weverse, bandmate Jimin was seen posing with J-Hope and his new hairdo.
J-Hope, whose real name is Jung Ho-seok, also posted a handwritten note: “I’ll return safely in a healthy shape!!”.
Fans were informed of J-Hope’s enlistment back in March during his livestream on Weverse but not the exact date and location of his camp.
“It’s not like I can go whenever I want, but the date [of the enlistment] has been set, and I think it’s about time I start preparing for it,” J-Hope said during the livestream.
“I thought I should complete [my military service] as soon as possible and return to my fans and show you guys a more mature version of myself.”
Bandmate Jin, who is the oldest of the group, was the first to enlist last December and has reportedly been serving as an assistant instructor at the Yeoncheon army base in Gyeonggi.
