BTS's J-Hope begins mandatory military service, reveals BIGHIT Music
What's the story
J-Hope has reportedly begun his mandatory military service in South Korea, and the ARMYs are crying their hearts out.
The K-pop boy band's agency, BIGHIT Music, shared a press release on Weverse on Saturday about the singer-songwriter's enlistment and also requested them not to gather around the military site.
After Jin, J-Hope has become the second BTS member to join the South Korean Army.
Context
Why does this story matter?
As per the rules of South Korea, all able-bodied men are required to complete mandatory military service for about two years, and all members of the K-pop boy band BTS will also have to complete their services.
Jin left for service in December, while J-Hope is now undergoing the enlistment process.
Meanwhile, Suga is the next in line, owning he was born in 1993.
Announcement
BIGHIT Music requested fans to refrain from visiting site
The note shared by BIGHIT, informing the world about the singer's upcoming enlistment, reportedly read, "There will be no official event on the day of [J-Hope's] entry."
It further said, "The entrance ceremony is a time to be observed by military personnel and their families only. To prevent any issues that might occur from crowding, fans are advised to refrain from visiting the site."
Twitter Post
Check out the official announcement
[공지] 방탄소년단 j-hope 군 입대 안내 (+ENG/JPN/CHN)https://t.co/fS24f1tsS6
— BTS_official (@bts_bighit) April 1, 2023
Reactions
Fans went into collective meltdown, flooded social media
As soon as the music company broke the news, fans flooded social media with comments about taking away "their ray of sunshine."
One of the users wrote, "Don't take our sunshine (sic)." While another tweeted, "We will support and we will wait for you (sic)."
Another fan said, "I'm confident that he will serve his country well and return as an even stronger artist."
Farewell song
Ahead of enlistment, J-Hope released'On The Street' song
As a farewell gift to ARMYs (BTS fans), J-Hope released the digital single On The Street on March 3, featuring his idol and "muse" American rapper J-Cole.
Notably, with this, J-Hope unlocked another milestone by scoring his highest-ever solo entry on Billboard's Hot 100 chart. It debuted at 60th position on the chart.
This achievement served as a testament to J-Hope's growing global significance.
Career graph
Headlining Lollapalooza, announcing 1st solo documentary: Look at his career
J-Hope made his smashing debut with BIGHIT Music in 2013.
In his decade-long career, he has achieved many milestones, including being the first Korean artist to headline the Lollapalooza festival in the US in 2022.
Further, he became the first BTS member to have his solo documentary titled J-Hope In the Box, inspired by his first solo debut album.
It premiered on February 17.