BTS’s Jin reunites with fans after completing military service

BTS's Jin celebrated finishing his mandatory military service with a fan meeting at Jamsil Sports Complex in Seoul on Thursday. The K-pop star hugged 1,000 fans, making it a touching reunion. One of the fans, Lee Hee-yeon, a 23-year-old student, stood in line, drying her hair with a hand fan while looking in a mirror. Another fan, Valeria, 24, flew in from Manila, the Philippines. She wore a purple outfit, the color of BTS's fandom, ARMY, including a purple sleeveless dress, a matching bag, and purple heart-shaped stickers on her cheeks. She said, "It's like a dream to see Jin after his military service."

The event also marked the 11th anniversary of BTS's debut, creating a sea of purple at the '2024 Festa.' The line of fans stretched 200 meters from the entrance to the nearby subway station. Fans wore purple clothes and accessories, with some even dyeing their hair purple or wearing purple hijabs. Despite the 32-degree heat, fans were undeterred, “armed” with parasols, ice packs, and hand fans, while BTS's music played from speakers.

Jin declared that he had completed the mandatory military service by personally hugging 1,000 fans chosen by lottery. He wished he could have met more fans, saying, "If I had multiple bodies, I would have hugged more people, but it's a pity that I only met 1,000." His words were met with cheers. After the hugs, Jin held a fan meeting called "Seok-jin on June 13, 2024, Sunny Weather," where he sang and shared his thoughts and feelings with his fans.


Ji-Sun Choi aurinko@donga.com