A day after completing his necessary military service in South Korea, the eldest member of the K-pop juggernaut BTS is getting ready to give 1,000 fans hugs.
On Wednesday, Jin, who started his training in December 2022, was released from the army. He is the first group member to finish his service.
One of the biggest modern musical artists in the world was forced to take a break from their career since military duty is mandatory in South Korea.
When they become 28 years old, almost all physically fit men must serve in the army for 18 months.
A bill allowing pop stars, or those who "excel in popular culture and art," to postpone their duty until they are thirty years old was passed by the nation's parliament in 2020.
"The last year and a half was a truckload of fun. Speaking from the headquarters of BTS' management company HYBE, the 31-year-old remarked following his discharge, "It's such a relief I met so many good people," in a livestream on the fan network Weverse.
However, he will make his public debut on Thursday at the Seoul Fest event, which honors South Korean entertainment, culture, and some of its most well-known exports, such as K-pop, K-beauty, and Korean cuisine.
By Thursday morning, the celebration was already crowded with stalls and activities set up, including BTS sticker shops, bracelet-making stations, picture booths, and custom pin makers.
Fans waited in line to get in, some savoring food in the shade others hiding from the intense heat with umbrellas.
Superfans from abroad have travelled to attend the event.
Ashley Stoudnour, from Florida, and Holly Campbell, who had come from Melbourne, Australia, both told CNN they wouldn't have missed the event for anything.
They hadn't received an embrace when they had entered the raffle, though. With her glossy boots and lavender headgear matching the band's color, purple, Campbell said, "Everyone here tried."
According to Stoudnour, "BTS themselves put so much love into their songs, into their personality, and into their fans. Stoudnor continued, calling Jin the "comedian of the group," saying that the fans' act of flying thousands of miles across the globe to welcome him back was simply their way of "giving them love back."
Another fan, Kim Yoon-jeong, expressed her excitement to support Jin despite crying all night after learning she didn't get an embrace or a desired seat in the stadium for his performance.
Speaking to CNN from the festival, she displayed her artwork, which consisted of digitally painted pictures of all the members of BTS, along with little plush dolls of the members. One of the dolls was dressed in a military uniform, which she had in her suitcase.
Since member V characterized purple as a representation of the band's enduring love and bond with their fans, the color has become synonymous with BTS. Since then, the hue has shown in a lot of their merchandise, live performances, and sponsored partnerships.
Another fan, Michelle Pedraza, who also didn't win a hug ticket and went to Seoul from her home in California, flaunted her purple-dyed hair for the occasion. She quipped, "No hug, but I'll be breathing all the air that he's breathing," adding that once he took the stage, she would most likely be crying and shouting.
Since making their debut in 2013, BTS has achieved global superstar status, with No. 1 hits in over 100 countries. Various Billboard Music awards, the Entertainer of the Year honor from Time magazine in 2020, various titles at the 2021 American Music Awards, and even a Grammy nomination in 2021—they have amassed an impressive record of accomplishments.
The members of the group are among the most bankable fashion idols in the world outside of music; people pay close attention to what they wear in music videos and on the red carpet.
