K-pop idol J-Hope just completed five weeks of basic military training at the recruit training center of the 36th Infantry Division. The 29-year-old singer attended the completion ceremony on May 24 and took to his Instagram Stories to update his fans with a photo dressed in his military uniform.
He also went on to Weverse, an online fan community, to share two more pictures.
“Armys (fans of BTS)! I’ve completed [the basic training] well. The letters and support you sent me have been a great help and thanks to that I was able to do my best during training! I will do my best for the rest of my military service period as well and show you the good sides of me! I love you,” wrote J-Hope whose Hangeul name is Jung Ho-seok.
“Cellphone is fascinating… Hahaha,” he added, as military trainees are not allowed to check their phones during the five-week training period.
Fellow BTS member RM commented on J-Hope’s post: “You’ve worked hard, Hope!”
On April 18, J-Hope became the second BTS member to enlist in the military after Jin.
Fans took to Twitter to congratulate J-Hope and share messages of support for both BTS members. Hashtags #Hobi and #WeAreWaitingForYou were top trends on the social media channel.
He will be assigned to a battalion where he will serve as an active-duty soldier and is set to be discharged in October 2024.
Meanwhile, BTS’ agency BigHit Music has asked fans to refrain from sending him letters and gifts via post and stick to Weverse messages instead.
The statement read: "Hello, This is BigHit Music. Thank you to all the fans who always give all their love to BTS. Thanks to your kind consideration and support this past April, BTS member J-Hope has entered the military and is now performing his duties responsibly at the training camp. Thank you for showing your interest and support on the day he entered. Below is additional information for fans to keep note of throughout J-Hope's military service period.
"Please refrain from sending letters and gifts even after he has finished his military recruit training and gets stationed at his military base. If a large number of letters and gifts from the fans arrive at the center all at once, it would be difficult to store them and they could be easily lost. We ask that you please refrain from sending anything by mail. Bighit Music will assist in making sure J-Hope can personally see any kind and warm messages fans leave on Weverse using the hashtag #Dear_jhope_from_ARMY."
