The oldest member of the K-pop phenomenon BTS is spending his day hugging 1,000 fans, after finishing his mandatory military service in South Korea on Wednesday.
Jin made his first public appearance at Seoul’s Jamsil Sports Complex this afternoon, where he is performing and meeting fans.
At the event, 1,000 lucky fans who won in a raffle will receive hugs from the 31-year-old, while a total of 4,000 select fans will be able to attend his performance at the end of the day.
Some BTS superfans – known as ARMY (Adorable Representative MC for Youth) – have journeyed from overseas to attend the BTS Festa event.
The country’s compulsory military service, which requires almost all able-bodied men to serve for 18 months by the time they are 28 years old, enforced a hiatus on one of the world’s most successful contemporary pop acts. The government passed a law in 2020 that allowed major pop stars to defer until the age of 30. The other six members of the septet are still serving.
As Jin started giving out hugs in the afternoon, videos began flooding social media from ecstatic fans, showing the star quickly hugging each person as they walked across a purple stage in a line. Many can be heard screaming, whooping, and crying.
BTS have become worldwide superstars since debuting in 2013, earning No. 1 singles in more than 100 countries. They’ve racked up a long list of accolades – numerous Billboard Music awards, Time magazine’s Entertainer of the Year award in 2020, and multiple titles at the 2021 American Music Awards – even becoming the first K-Pop act to earn a Grammy nomination in 2021.
Beyond music, the group’s members are among the world’s most bankable fashion icons – with what they wear on the red carpet and in music videos closely watched.
In 2021, Louis Vuitton named the group brand ambassadors and dressed them in complementary suits for the 64th Grammy Awards the next year. Dior outfitted the band in custom stagewear for their 2019 tour. Individual members have starred in various luxury fashion house campaigns.
In the last few years, the hiatus that military service would bring loomed large. Jin was the first in the group to enlist at 30. BTS is expected to reconvene as a group around 2025.
Source: CNN
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