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J-Hope, also known by his birth name Jung Ho-seok, has just become the second member of the world-famous K-pop group BTS to enlist the South Korean military.
Prior to his departure for the military, J-Hope took to the Weverse social media platform to share some special words and a pair of photos featuring his hair, which he had clearly just cut short for his enlistment. “I love you all. ARMY, I will return safely,” he wrote, referring to BTS’s massive and dedicated fan base, which goes by the name ARMY.
In South Korea, all “able-bodied” men are required to serve approximately two years of mandatory military service for the country. That action must start before they turn 30. Although occasional exceptions exist for athletes and certain classical musicians, who receives them and how that’s decided remains controversial.
While J-Hope had previously requested a postponement of his enlistment, he later withdrew that application and opted to go ahead with his compulsory enlistment. The band’s label Big Hit Music shared a statement earlier this year after news of the postponement broke that said, “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.”
J-Hope’s enlistment makes him the second from BTS to do so, following his bandmate Jin, who entered the military in December 2022. That move meant BTS will be on hiatus until further notice–perhaps even until 2025. While that’s bad news for fans of the septet, many of the members have been keeping busy with their own projects.
Before entering the military, J-Hope spent much of early 2023 working on and releasing solo music. In July 2022, he dropped his debut solo album, Jack in the Box, which coincided with a music documentary on Disney+ that detailed the album’s creation, as well as J-Hope’s preparation for his much-hyped Lollapalooza performance.
J-Hope also recently collaborated with rapper J. Cole on the single “On the Street,” which was not featured on his solo album but which quickly became one of his biggest chart successes in the U.S., hitting No. 1 on Billboard’s Rap Digital Song Sales ranking.
Source: https://www.forbes.com/sites/hughmcintyre/2023/04/19/j-hope-becomes-the-second-member-of-bts-to-enlist-in-the-korean-military/