BTS Jin and J-Hope, discharge from ‘Expressive Warrior’ and return as ‘World Class Idol'

Jin and J-Hope, the special warriors of the group BTS, will soon return as a ‘world class’ BTS. As their discharge approaches, positive outlooks for Hive's future are emerging one after another.

BTS Jin and J-Hope will be discharged from the military in June and October of this year, respectively. In particular, Jin, who is about to be discharged from the military on the 12th, will attend the '2024 Festa' held at Jamsil Indoor Stadium in Seoul on the 13th, the anniversary of BTS's debut. '2024 FESTA' is a festival that BTS holds every year around June 13, their debut anniversary.

Jin, the only member of BTS who attended the event as a civilian, attracted attention by saying that he would hold a hug event for 1,000 people that day and then communicate with fans by showing them various sides of himself in the second part.

Previously, Jin was the first BTS member to enlist on December 13, 2022, and will be discharged on the 12th. He enlisted in the Army's 5th Infantry Division located in Yeoncheon, Gyeonggi-do, the front line, and served as an assistant in the recruit training center. Jin was surprised to be ranked as a special warrior, a soldier who is evaluated as having excellent combat skills, including shooting, physical strength, and mental strength. It is known that special warriors can be promoted two months early.

Jin joked to the members through Weverse, a fan communication platform, saying, “Know that it will be a disgrace to BTS if you don’t win The Express Warrior,” and “Get it by this month.”

J-Hope, who enlisted on April 18 last year following Jin, followed in Jin's footsteps and became a special warrior. He is serving in the Army's 36th Infantry Division as an instructor at the recruit training center. On the 4th, he participated in the program 'Strong Warrior, Army!' hosted by the Army. He attracted attention by winning the grand prize at the 'Presentation Contest' by presenting his military experience.

At the competition, J-Hope said, "Just as I contribute to the cultural development of the Republic of Korea with the blood, sweat, tears, and voice shed on stage, I feel that I am contributing in a different way now as a soldier." He added, "I feel that my existence can be a source of strength. “It is a matter of great pride to serve as a soldier here in the Republic of Korea,” he said, drawing emotion from his announcement.

In addition, J-Hope prepared many works for fans who would wait for his 'military leave period' (a compound word of military and gap period) before enlisting and released them during his military service. He released his solo album 'HOPE ON THE STREET VOL.1' last March and released a documentary series of the same name. His solo album 'Hope on the Street' became a hot topic by entering the US Billboard main album chart 'Billboard 200' at number 5. J-Hope expressed his affection for his documentary series through a handwritten letter, saying, "Before enlistment, we were busy bumping into each other."

As Jin and J-Hope's discharge approaches, predictions are emerging as to whether Hive, which was going through a difficult time due to negative news, will be able to smile.

Starting with Jin's discharge from the military, stock market expectations are high for the resumption of activities by ARMY (BTS's official fandom name), the most active fandom in the world. In addition, BTS has emphasized activities commemorating the 10th anniversary of Hwayangyeonhwa, so there are expectations for full-scale BTS activities in 2025. Accordingly, investment experts from many securities companies currently have a buy opinion on Hive.

The fact that Jin and J-Hope will be able to work as civilians after being discharged from the military this year is clearly a great news for Hive, which is facing difficulties as all BTS members are enlisting in the military and facing a gap year. Expectations are focused on the return of Jin and J-Hope, who will wear stage costumes rather than uniforms and hold microphones instead of guns.

Reporter Lee Min-kyung, Ten Asia 2min_ror@tenasia.co.kr