BTS’ J-Hope Shows Off Buzz Cut As He Reports For Mandatory Military Service

etcanada.com:

BTS member J-Hope is reporting for military duty. The K-pop star shared a selfie showing off his new buzz cut and a message for fans as he began his 18-month mandatory military service in South Korea on Tuesday. “I’ll be back in good health,” reads the caption on his Instagram, translated from Korean.

The artist, whose real name is Jung Ho-seok, follows in the footsteps of the group’s eldest member, Jin, who began his military service in December.

Under South Korean law, all able-bodied men are required to perform 18 to 21 months of military service. BTS members had already been granted a two-year extension on their government-mandated military service, with top-performing athletes and musicians occasionally granted exemptions.

Bang Si-hyuk — founder of BTS’ record label, BIGHIT MUSIC — gave an interview featured last month on CNN’s Quest on Business, where he addressed BTS’ current slow-down from group activities amid the members’ South Korean military service and made reassurances about their future plans. “From the career’s point of view, no artist would be happy to have such a long pause against their will.