BTS’ Jin Debuts A Buzz Cut Ahead Of His South Korean Military Enlistment

In October, Big Hit Music confirmed that BTS was planning to go on hiatus until at least 2025 so as to allow each group member to fulfill his mandatory South Korean military service. The statement detailed that Jin, who turned 30 on December 4 (and who is the oldest BTS member), would “initiate the process as soon as his schedule for his solo release is concluded by the end of October. He will then follow the enlistment procedure of the Korean government.” Jin’s solo debut, “Astronaut,” dropped on October 28, and now, he appears to be fully engaged in the military process.

Jin shared a selfie featuring a new buzz cut on Weverse on December 11, which was captured by several BTS fan accounts. “Hehehehehe it’s cuter than I expected,” he wrote as the caption (as noted by Soompi). Jimin also made the photo his new his Weverse profile picture:

Last week, Big Hit provided an update on Jin’s enlistment. The statement, translated by Soompi, reads as follows:

“Hello,
This is BIGHIT MUSIC.
We want to thank you for your continued support of BTS and would like to update you on Jin’s upcoming enlistment into the military.
Jin will fulfill his required time with the military by enlisting in the army. Please note that we will not be holding any kind of official event on the day of his recruitment.
The entrance ceremony is a time to be observed by military personnel and their families only. In order to prevent any issues that might occur from crowding, we ask fans to please refrain from visiting the site. Instead, we ask you to keep your heartwarming words of support and farewell in your hearts.
We also advise you not to get adversely affected by purchasing unauthorized tours or product packages illegally using artist IP. Our company will take necessary action against any attempts at commercial activity making unauthorized use of such IP.
We ask for your continued love and support for Jin until he finishes his military service and comes back. Our company will also strive to provide every support he needs during this time.
Thank you.”

ARMY reacted immensely to BTS’ military-related hiatus, and the outpouring of support for Jin is just as prevalent. See some of the tweets below.