Jin shared a private moment with fans ahead of his mandatory military enlistment on Tuesday.
The superstar uploaded a selfie to BTS’ fan-community WeVerse site showing his new buzzed haircut. Gone are his long signature locks that were on full display in his recent “Astronaut” music video and instead, the 30-year-old is rocking a super-short style, commonly known as the “induction cut,” as the hairstyle used by many country’s armed forces including the United States. Jin captioned the photo laughing, saying that he found the new cut “cuter than I thought.”
Unlike a buzzcut from the barber, the military haircut doesn’t keep regard for length or facial features but is cut equally all around one’s head. All recruits in South Korea must have their hair cut short before weeks of basic-training programs at the start of their service. Per national law, all able-bodied South Korean men must serve in the armed forces for at least 18 months with varying lengths of service time. While the draft begins once they turn 18, men may postpone it until age 28. In December 2020, the Korean National Assembly passed a motion (nicknamed the “BTS law”) to allow top K-pop stars to postpone service until age 30 with a recommendation from the culture minister.
BTS’ management label BIGHIT MUSIC recently shared a notice to fans that there will be no “official event” to mark the star’s enlistment.
“Jin will fulfill his required time with the military by enlisting in the army,” read a note from BIGHIT on BTS’ Weverse. “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.”
Jin is the first of the seven BTS members to fulfill his mandatory obligations.
