BTS megastar Jin begins military service amid tight security, cheering fans 

Yeoncheon: Kim Seokjin aka Jin—the oldest member of K-pop supergroup BTS—is all set to enter a frontline South Korean boot camp Tuesday to start his 18-month national service, as fans gathered near the base to say goodbye to their star.

As some 300 military, police and fire officials tightened security around his boot camp in the eastern county of Yeoncheon—where frontline troops are deployed on guard against North Korea— dozens of fans gathered to bid Jin farewell for now, braving freezing temperatures with snow forecast for the afternoon. 

In October, BTS announced they would sign up for mandatory military service, starting with Jin. The group plans to pursue individual projects and reunite in 2025 after all seven members have completed their duties.

Jin, who turned 30 on December 4, had postponed the start of his service for the maximum permissible time. 

After five weeks' training at the boot camp, located about 45 kilometres (28 miles) from the heavily fortified Demilitarized Zone that separates the two Koreas, he will be deployed to a yet-to-be specified unit.

At the Yeoncheon bootcamp, where the BTS star has enrolled, recruits sleep on mats on the floor, in rooms with 30 people. They are taught how to handle weapons and fire live ammunition before being put through demanding wartime scenarios.

The most challenging tasks they face are being sealed in a gas chamber, to experience the effects of CS gas, and having to detonate a live grenade.

"Now it's time for a curtain call," Jin wrote on BTS fan platform Weverse early on Tuesday. He had posted a photo of his shaved head on Monday, joking that it was "cuter" than he had imagined.

BTS' management, Big Hit Music, said there would be no official event and asked fans to refrain from travelling to the boot camp citing safety concerns and instead "cheer from hearts".

South Korea requires all able-bodied men aged between 18 and 28 to serve in the military for about two years, a measure that has long been a source of controversy.

A 2019 revision of the law allowed globally recognised K-pop stars to delay service until the age of 30.

SOURCE: REUTERS