J-Hope, the BTS rapper, enlisted for his mandatory military service a few days ago, and his first pictures in uniform have surfaced on the internet. Following Jin’s enlistment, he is the second BTS member to join the army for the 18-month compulsory service. According to reports, J-Hope aka Hobi is serving with the 36th Infantry Division’s Baekho New Corps.
In the first photo, J-Hope has a buzz cut and is cheerfully eating with his fellow trainees. With a big smile, he flashes a thumbs-up sign. This was followed by a group photo of Hobi and other uniformed personnel flashing heart symbols. J-Hope is seen with a name card indicating that he is number one. He is said to be receiving basic military education and training for about five weeks before joining the army as an active-duty soldier.
In response to the photos, one fan wrote on Twitter, “Omg (Oh my God) he’s looking good!” “I wonder if we’ll ever see Jhope and Jin together,” said another. “I’m glad to see this, but I’ll wait for Hobi’s Instagram update,” someone else said.
On April 18, J-Hope enlisted in the military. He was seen reuniting with all BTS members before heading out for his duties in an official video shared on BangtanTV. Jin, who is already in the army, came to join all of the members–RM, Jin, Suga, J-Hope, Jimin, V, and Jungkook.
In the midst of this, South Korean news outlet Newsis reported that, while all recruits joining on April 18 were only allowed to enter the premises with one car each, the BTS rapper was not. The car allowance was mentioned on a large LED sign reported over the entrance. The recruits could only enter the guarded premises after showing their enlistment notice.
However, six HYBE vans were seen entering the guarded area, according to the report. Five of them arrived at the same time, and one car arrived at a later time. It claims that J-Hope was given an exception. In response to all rumors, BTS’s agency promised to issue an official statement after thoroughly investigating the facts.
“We are currently checking [the truth of the report],” the agency said. An official statement has not yet been issued.
Meanwhile, other members of BTS will enlist in the army according to their schedules. As part of their hiatus, they are all concentrating on their solo careers. They will reappear as a group in 2025.
