BTS, ready for military service 1:23
(CNN) --
K-pop superstar Jin will begin mandatory military service next month, a source with direct knowledge of the situation confirmed Friday, after the BTS singer called on his fans to to stay away from the South Korean Army training center.
The source said that the 29-year-old star, who is the oldest member of BTS, will enter service on December 13 at the Yeoncheon military base in the northern province of Gyeonggi.
Military service is compulsory in South Korea, where almost all able-bodied men must serve in the military for 18 months before their 28th birthday.
South Korea's parliament passed a bill in 2020 that allows pop stars, meaning those who "excel in popular culture and art," to defer their service until the age of 30.
Jin's service will begin with a five-week basic training course, after which he will be assigned to a unit, according to standard practice.
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This had been expected for a long time.
Last month, BTS's record label said that all seven members of the group planned to enlist in the military and that Jin, who turns 30 on December 4, would be the first to enlist.
On Thursday, Jin posted a message on the Weverse app urging his followers not to visit the military training center to see him amid his impending enlistment.
He did not deny the reports in the post.
“Reports have come out against my will, but our ARMY (BTS fans) should not come to the training center,” he wrote.
“It could be dangerous because there will be many people in the place besides me.
ARMY, I love you."
BTS has often been compared to The Beatles, even after breaking one of the English rock band's records with three Billboard No. 1 albums in a single year.
BTS's Jungkook will sing at the opening ceremony in Qatar 2022 and will also participate in its official soundtrack
Their devoted fan base calls themselves the "BTS Army," and they're the ones pushing their music and defending them on social media in 2019 when the group was left out of Grammy nominations.
They were nominated for three 2023 Grammy Awards.
With military service just around the corner, BTS said in June that they would be taking a hiatus to continue their solo projects.
The group is expected to reunite in 2025, according to their record label.
Additional reporting by Chloe Melas, Mitchell McCluskey, and Alicia Lee
BTSSouth KoreaMilitary Service
