The News
Korean authorities plan to deploy 270 police officers to the army base where Jin, a member of the mega-popular K-pop boy band BTS, will begin training for his mandatory military enlistment on Tuesday, according to Korean media reports.
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Jin previously appealed to BTS fans not to show up at the military facility.
Given BTS’s significant female and foreign fanbase, authorities plan to deploy female and foreign affairs officers who can translate other languages, News1 Korea reported.
The army has been working with local officials to ensure crowd control and prevent unsafe situations, the newspaper Donga reported, citing a briefing from Ministry of National Defense official Kim Jin-tae.
Officials also plan to crack down on illegal street vendors around the military base to prevent congestion.
In a statement on the social media platform WeVerse, the group’s label Big Hit Music said it “will not be holding any kind of official event on the day of his recruitment.”
The label urged fans to stay away from the military site “to prevent any issues that might occur from crowding” and said that Jin is expected to enter the training center in a vehicle without greeting the media or fans.
“Instead, we ask you to keep your heartwarming words of support and farewell in your hearts,” the label added.
Step Back
Jin, whose full name is Kim Seok-jin and who recently turned 30, is the oldest BTS member and will become the first to enlist in the Korean army.
South Korea requires all men to enlist in the nation’s army by the time they turn 30. BTS’s label announced in October that the band’s seven members would enlist in the South Korean army, ending months of speculation over whether the world’s biggest band would have to do two years of compulsory service.
After details of his enlistment leaked, Jin was forced to tell the group’s fans — known as the ARMY — that “you can’t come to the training center” because it could become dangerous if crowds form.
