On July 28, 2023, several videos of military trainees chanting Kim Seok-jin, aka BTS’ Jin’s name, during the graduation ceremony went viral. Although the videos do not include the BTS member, fans were nonetheless filled with pride and gushed over his seemingly positive effect in the military.
Jin was the first BTS member to enlist in the military and did so on December 13, 2022. Since then, he has occasionally come online to comment on his fellow members’ lives or meet j-hope during his enlistment. He has also gone viral for the rare times fans found him at any formal military event. Similarly, fans expressed their love and support for The Astronaut singer in a recent event.
BTS’ Jin seems to be military trainees’ favorite in recent viral videos; fans react proudly
BTS members going viral for nearly every small or big thing is not new, as it only shows ARMYs’ unconditional love for them. Whether the members themselves are included in it or not, any achievement of the K-pop idols is celebrated. In a similar case, videos of military trainees cheering for BTS’ Jin during their graduation ceremony caught ARMYs’ attention.
A video posted by Twitter user @chanh9214 showed a group of trainees posing for pictures. In the same video, they could be heard chanting Jin’s birth name. As per another Twitter user, the people in the video were the platoon members under BTS’ Jin’s responsibility.
ARMYs bombarded the replies section with several phrases to show their support for The Astronaut singer. Many fans praised the BTS member’s capability as a leader and called the video “wholesome” and that it looked like he had his “own fanbase” in the military as well.
BTS’ Jin congratulates WINNER’s Yoon on his basic military training, posts photos
On July 26, the BTS member posted photos with second-generation K-pop idol Kang Seung-yoon, aka Yoon of WINNER, to congratulate him for completing his basic military training. Yoon enlisted in the military on June 20, 2023, and already seemed to have found his friend.
The Astronaut singer posted photos with WINNER’s Yoon as a gift to both ARMYs and INNER CIRCLEs (WINNER’s fandom). He also left a heartwarming message.
“Seung Yoon, congratulations on completing [your basic training]. I enjoyed spending the last six weeks with you. (He’s the cool vocalist of the group WINNER.) You worked hard during your time as a new recruit, and please live well at your new military base as well, sob sob,” he said, as per translation via Soompi.
The BTS member then added how these photos would serve as a gift to both their fandoms. He also cleared the air by mentioning that none of them received special treatment and were treated like others in the camp.
“I hoped that ARMY [BTS’s fans] and INNER CIRCLE [WINNER’s fans] would be happy to see [these photos], so I asked [Seung Yoon] to take a commemorative photo with me. Both our company commander and our first sergeant are very good people, so it was a great six weeks. (We didn’t receive any preferential treatment.)”
Earlier this month, The Astronaut singer revealed that he had been promoted to Corporal and was part of the Elite Class of Warriors (aka Special Class Warrior). He is expected to be discharged on June 12, 2024.