the online fan platform weverse he posted a photo of himself sunday with a military buzzcut and a message saying ha ha ha its cuter than i had expected mandy lee from hong kong was among the first group of people who gathered near the base to see jin off i want to wait for jin and see him go into the military and wish him all the best lee said about 2030 fans showed up near the camp a small number given jins huge popularity jin and bit hit music have separately asked fans not to visit the site to prevent any issue caused by a crowding and didnt plan any special events tuesday involving jin near the base police officers still closed off some streets to maintain order and prevent any accidents and officials deployed an ambulance at the site strict safety steps were expected as south korea is still reeling from the devastating halloween crush in october in seoul that killed 158 people by law all ablebodied south korean men must serve in the military for 1821 months but the law gives special exemptions to athletes classical and traditional musicians and ballet and other dancers if they have won top prizes in certain competitions and enhance national prestige kpop stars and other entertainers arent given such benefits even if they gain worldwide fame and win big international awards though bts members have opted to go to the military there are still some sort of regrets said jung dukhyun a pop culture commentator those in the pop culture sector experience little bit of disadvantages and unfairness compared with those in the pure art sector or athletes this will likely continue to be an issue of controversy so i wonder if it must be discussed continuously exemptions or dodging of duties are a highly sensitive issue in south korea where the draft forces young men to suspend their studies or professional careers defence minister lee jongsup and lee ki sik head of south koreas enlistment office previously said it would be desirable for bts members to fulfill their military duties to ensure fairness in the countrys military service chun inbum a retired lieutenant general who commanded south koreas special forces said the government must move to repeal any exemptions as the militarys shrinking recruitment pool is a very serious problem amid the countrys declining fertility rate he called a debate over btss military service unnecessary as it wasnt raised by bts members who have shown willingness in carrying out their duties bts was created in 2013 and has a legion of global supporters who call themselves the army its other members are rm suga jhope jimin v and jungkook who is the youngest at 25 the group expanded its popularity in the west with its 2020 megahit dynamite the bands first allenglish song that made bts the first kpop act to top billboards hot 100 the band has performed in soldout arenas around the world and was even invited