BTS’ J-Hope will be the second member of the K-pop band to start his mandatory military service in South Korea. J-Hope shared a photo of his newly buzzed hair as well as a handwritten farewell message to his dedicated fans.  When translated into English, the note read: “I will return healthy and well!!  I’ll have a good trip!!” 

According to a South Korean news agency called Yonhap, J-Hope is enlisting in the South Korean military and starting five weeks of basic training at an Army boot camp in Gangwon Province. BTS’ agency, BigHit Music, has not shared the official date and location of his enlistment. BigHit took to Weverse last month to inform fans that J-Hope had started the process of enlisting, sharing: “We would like to inform our fans that j-hope has initiated the military enlistment process by applying for the termination of his enlistment postponement. We will inform you of further updates in due course. We ask you for your continued love and support for j-hope until he completes his military service and safely returns. Our company will spare no effort in providing support for our artist.”

BTS is currently on hiatus as the individual members start their mandatory South Korean military service. The eldest member of the group, Jin, documented his newly buzzed head just before leaving for a boot camp to begin his service back in December. Other members are still performing and making appearances before starting their own service. BTS plans to reunite as a full group in 2025.

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