Kim Seok-jin, known by his stage Jin, is the first member of the global sensation BTS to complete his mandatory military service. While the K-pop start was discharged on June 12, the next day Jin held a special event in Seoul to celebrate the 11th anniversary of his band. The event called, 'Jin's Greetings' allowed the singer to interact with his fans for the first time in 18 months.
One of the highlights of the event was Jin's free hugs. Around 1000 lucky fans received an embrace from the singer, known by his nickname, Worldwide Handsome. Jin was wearing a signboard with the text 'Give me a hug'. In over an hour, Jin managed to hug around 1000 ARMYs, the BTS fans. Jin's signboard became a topic of discussion when some ARMYs speculated that the singer was wearing the board to create a respectable barrier while hugging the fans. Social media feeds were full of fans praising Jin for his gesture, with one fan writing, "Streets saying he wore that board banner in front of him so that the hug wouldn't make both parties uncomfortable. He's so thoughtful."
Further in the event, Jin performed two of his songs, namely 'The Astronaut' and 'Moon'. He also honoured his bandmate Jungkook by dancing to his song Seven. The event was a huge success with ARMYs and Jin alike thanking each other for the wonderful time. Jin also shared glimpses from the event on his Instagram account.
The second member of BTS to return from the army is J-Hope who is slated to be discharged in October 2024. The rest of the members, consisting of Jimin, V, RM, Jungkook and Suga will return in 2025.