J-Hope of BTS to start military service

J-Hope from boy band BTS will start his military service on Tuesday.

“I love you ARMY, I’ll be back safely,” J-Hope wrote on his social media accounts on Monday night, sharing a photo of himself with his hair shaved, saluting in front of the camera.

J-Hope also shared a short handwritten message which wrote “I’ll return safely in a healthy shape!!”

According to local media, J-Hope will enlist at a frontline army recruitment center in Gangwon on Tuesday.

BTS member Jimin also shared a photo of him with J-Hope after he shaved his hair.

The boy band’s agency BigHit Music announced earlier this month that J-Hope will be joining an army boot camp to complete his military service, without sharing the enlistment date or location.

J-Hope, too, shared on a Weverse livestream on March 16 that he had received his enlistment dates.

“It’s not like I can go whenever I want, but the date [of the enlistment] has been set, and I think it’s about time I start preparing for it,” J-Hope had said.

“I thought I should complete [my military service] as soon as possible and return to my fans and show you guys a more mature version of myself.”

In Korea, all able-bodied young men are required to serve around one and a half years in the military. J-Hope will be the second member of BTS to start his military service, following leader Jin, who began his service in December last year.

BY CHO YONG-JUN [cho.yongjun1@joongang.co.kr]