BTS K-pop Member Jin Begins Military Service
2022-12-14
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1With a newly shaved head, Jin, the oldest member of the Korean pop group BTS, began his 18 months of required military service on Tuesday.
2Jin turned 30 earlier this month. He begins five weeks of basic training at a camp about 45 kilometers from the border with North Korea.
3The training includes gun shooting, grenade throwing, and marching.
4A group of 20 to 30 fans, some holding Jin's photos, and reporters gathered in the cold, snowy weather to see Jin enter the camp.
5A security force of about 300 police, military, and fire officials was there to provide security.
6"He is so skinny," said Mandy Lee, a 30-year-old fan from Hong Kong.
7"I want him to eat more and stay healthy and safe."
8The BTS official Twitter account later posted images showing Jin with other members, likely at the camp, with a message saying: "Our bro!! Have a safe service!! Love you."
9 One image showed members touching Jin's shaved head.
10Under South Korean law, most able-bodied men are required to perform 18 to 21 months of military service.
11The law exempts athletes, classical and traditional musicians, and dancers who performed well in international competitions.
12But K-pop stars do not receive exemptions, even if they are famous worldwide.
13"Those in the pop culture sector experience [a] little bit of disadvantages and unfairness, compared with those in the pure art sector or athletes," Jung Duk-hyun, a pop culture commentator, said.
14Chun In-bum is a retired general who once commanded South Korea's special forces.
15Chun said the government must stop exemptions.
16He said the decreasing number of people in the military is "a very serious" problem caused by the country's low birth rate.
17BTS was formed in 2013 and has a huge number of supporters around the world who call themselves the "Army".
18The band has performed in sold-out arenas around the world.
19Six younger members of BTS are to join the military in the coming years.
20That could mean that the group activities will likely be limited for a few years.
21In August, Defense Minister Lee Jong-sup said BTS members who are serving in the military would likely be permitted to continue practicing.
22He added they could also join other non-serving BTS members in performances.
23Cha Woo-jin, a K-pop commentator, said it is unclear if BTS would enjoy the same popularity after finishing their military requirements in a few years.
24I'm Andrew Smith.
1With a newly shaved head, Jin, the oldest member of the Korean pop group BTS, began his 18 months of required military service on Tuesday. 2Jin turned 30 earlier this month. He begins five weeks of basic training at a camp about 45 kilometers from the border with North Korea. The training includes gun shooting, grenade throwing, and marching. 3A group of 20 to 30 fans, some holding Jin's photos, and reporters gathered in the cold, snowy weather to see Jin enter the camp. A security force of about 300 police, military, and fire officials was there to provide security. 4"He is so skinny," said Mandy Lee, a 30-year-old fan from Hong Kong. "I want him to eat more and stay healthy and safe." 5The BTS official Twitter account later posted images showing Jin with other members, likely at the camp, with a message saying: "Our bro!! Have a safe service!! Love you." One image showed members touching Jin's shaved head. 6Under South Korean law, most able-bodied men are required to perform 18 to 21 months of military service. The law exempts athletes, classical and traditional musicians, and dancers who performed well in international competitions. But K-pop stars do not receive exemptions, even if they are famous worldwide. 7"Those in the pop culture sector experience [a] little bit of disadvantages and unfairness, compared with those in the pure art sector or athletes," Jung Duk-hyun, a pop culture commentator, said. 8Chun In-bum is a retired general who once commanded South Korea's special forces. Chun said the government must stop exemptions. He said the decreasing number of people in the military is "a very serious" problem caused by the country's low birth rate. 9BTS was formed in 2013 and has a huge number of supporters around the world who call themselves the "Army". The band has performed in sold-out arenas around the world. Six younger members of BTS are to join the military in the coming years. That could mean that the group activities will likely be limited for a few years. 10In August, Defense Minister Lee Jong-sup said BTS members who are serving in the military would likely be permitted to continue practicing. He added they could also join other non-serving BTS members in performances. 11Cha Woo-jin, a K-pop commentator, said it is unclear if BTS would enjoy the same popularity after finishing their military requirements in a few years. 12I'm Andrew Smith. 13Andrew Smith adapted this story for VOA Learning English from reports from the Associated Press and Reuters. 14_____________________________________________________________ 15Words in This Story 16shave -v. to cut hair off or to a level close to the skin 17grenade -n. a military, explosive weapon with a delay timer, thrown by hand 18exempt -v. to provide an exception or allowance for someone to do something that is is normally not permitted 19athlete -n. a person trained in a sporting activity 20sector -n. an area or category of activity, such as a business sector, arts sector, and the like 21arena -n. a large building or structure capable of holding thousands of people, usually used for sporting events, concerts, or other large public events 22____________________________________________________________ 23We want to hear from you. 24We have a new comment system. Here is how it works: 25Each time you return to comment on the Learning English site, you can use your account and see your comments and replies to them. Our comment policy is here.