BTS members Jimin (Park Ji-min, 30) and Jungkook (Jeon Jung-kook, 28) have returned after completing their military service.
Jimin and Jungkook were discharged on the 11th after completing 18 months of military service. They entered the 5th Division's recruit training center together on December 5, 2023, and continued their service in the same division.
As the agency HYBE announced that there would be no special events on the day of discharge, there were no separate events held at the members' unit. However, around 8 AM that day, they took a moment to greet the press at a sports field located in Yeoncheon-gun, Gyeonggi-do.
Many domestic and international fans gathered at the scene, where Jimin and Jungkook, dressed in military uniforms, arrived in a black vehicle. The two, who saluted while shouting “Unity,” appeared shy as they met their fans after a long time.
Jungkook was the first to speak, saying, “Thank you for coming to see us discharge. Honestly, it’s been so long since I’ve been in front of a camera, and I didn’t put on any makeup, so I feel embarrassed. I don’t know what to say.”
In response, Jimin said, “I feel like I’m on vacation. Thank you for coming to see us from afar. To the ARMY (BTS fandom), I want to say first that it’s been quite a long time since COVID and the military, so thank you for waiting. Since we discharged today, I think we can continue to draw the picture we’ve been envisioning.”
He also expressed gratitude to the comrades he served with.
Jungkook shared, “I want to express my gratitude to the comrades and officers who served with us; they worked hard living with us. I want to say thank you for taking good care of us.”
Jimin added, “It was my first time in the military, and it wasn’t an easy place. We went through a lot together, eating and sleeping outside, and we became very close. To the citizens, if you see soldiers passing by, it would be an honor if you could say a warm word, even lightly.”
Due to the large number of fans at the scene, the two quickly finished their brief discharge greetings and got back into the black vehicle to leave.
BTS has been on a military hiatus since December 2022, starting with the eldest member Jin, followed by J-Hope, Suga, RM, V, Jimin, and Jungkook, who enlisted in succession.
With the discharge of Jimin and Jungkook today, six out of the seven members have now returned to civilian status, following Jin, J-Hope, RM, and V. Suga (Min Yoon-gi), who is serving as a social service agent, will be discharged on the 21st.
As BTS members will all become “military veterans” this month, fans' expectations for a full group comeback are rising. HYBE has stated, “We hope for BTS's full group activities in 2025,” leading the industry to anticipate a new album from BTS by the end of this year or at the latest in the first half of next year.
There are also expectations for opportunities to meet the full group of BTS before their comeback. BTS will hold the “2025 BTS Festa” on the 13th at Goyang KINTEX to celebrate their debut anniversary. Additionally, on the same day, J-Hope's solo encore concert is scheduled at Goyang Sports Complex, raising interest in whether fans will be able to see the full group of BTS.
[Lee Da-gyeom, Star Today Reporter]
