BTS’ JIN STARTS MILITARY SERVICE

[Anchor Lead]

Jin, a member of K-POP boy group BTS officially started his mandatory military service on Tuesday. After five weeks of training, he will be deployed to a unit as an active-duty soldier. Fans and media outlets gathered in front of the training center to say their goodbyes, but not a concerningly large crowd gathered due to safety reasons.

[Pkg]

Outside a military training center in Yeoncheon, Gyeonggido Province. Dozens of reporters and fans have gathered. Jin, the eldest member of BTS, is starting active duty military service. He is the first in the group to do so. Jin and his management agency have asked fans not to come to the site for safety reasons, and thankfully it's not a concerningly large crowd. The military and police mobilized some 300 personnel and an ambulance to be prepared for possible emergency situations. The fans who did turn out in person, posted messages cheering on the singer, expressing hopes he would complete the service in good health.

[Soundbite] (Fan from Hong Kong) : "We love him. We wish him for the best. Keep safe and healthy. We will wait him."

[Soundbite] Kim Jae-hun(Bucheon resident) : "Don't get hurt and return home safely. I love you Jin!"

With no particular farewell ceremony or event, a car carrying Jin drove into the recruit training center. The other members of BTS also sent him off. They arrived in six different vehicles and headed straight into the training center. Foreign media including the U.S. and the UK also covered this rare scene. CNN said that K-pop supergroup BTS entered a new era on Tuesday as Jin, its oldest member, began his mandatory military service. His enlistment had been postponed to the end of the year but the 30-year-old last month asked that deferral to be retracted. His enlistment was finalized. Jin whose real name is Kim Seok-jin will first undergo a five-week basic military training before being assigned to a unit. Meanwhile, Suga, the second oldest member of BTS, is reportedly assigned to serve as a social service agent instead of an active-duty soldier. The exact reason is not known but some speculate it may be related to a shoulder surgery he received in 2020.