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BTS member Kim Seok-jin gave away 1,000 fans free hugs during a fan gathering organized on June 13, 2024. Following the completion of his necessary military duty in South Korea on June 12, the eldest member of the K-pop group BTS celebrated the band's 11th anniversary as part of their FESTA tradition. Jin showed up with a big cardboard banner hanging around his neck with "HUG ME" written on it.
During his first public appearance on June 13, the singer-songwriter was at Seoul's Jamsil Sports Complex, where he organized a food catering service for 4,000 ARMYs and gave them all mementos, among other things. Following Jin's afternoon hugging spree, thrilled fans posted footage of the star embracing each individual as they filed through a purple stage in a queue on social media.
Later that evening, the South Korean musician performed his debut solo single The Astronaut in front of all the attendees at Jamsil Sports Complex, which was LIVE-streamed on Weverse for paid membership users. Following the conclusion of the first hug event, there was a break before the second session of the event began, which included a live performance by Jin.
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Jin hugged 1,000 ARMY in an hour and conversed with the fans
A faction of the ARMY (Adorable Representative MC for Youth) of BTS fans traveled from abroad to attend the BTS FESTA event. The septet started a two-week anniversary celebration called FESTA in 2014 to express their gratitude towards ARMY, who love and support them. The group releases fan-dedicated songs, handwritten letters, LIVE performances, and more, as part of the FESTA celebration.
In the morning, Jin's fan event venue was already bustling with a variety of activities and pop-up store sets, including picture booths, bracelet-making stations, personalized pin stations, BTS sticker stores, and more. Thousands of fans queued up outside Jamsil Sports Complex to witness the BTS singer up and close after 18 months.
The 31-year-old hugged 1,000 lucky fans who won a raffle at the event that 4,000 chosen followers could attend. Videos of Jin hugging people circulated on social media as soon as the event began. In an hour, Jin had completed hugging his fans and expressed surprise at how it took a short time.
Following this, Jin revealed the reason he chose a clock to gift the attending ARMY as a souvenir. He elaborated on how he had contemplated the idea before finalizing it. The singer underscored that a clock with his face printed on it would have been flamboyant and several people would prefer a minimalistic gift.
"I felt that I needed to prepare some souvenirs for you, so I thought of a clock as a gift. Did you receive it? Initially, I was debating whether I should rather choose a bracelet or necklace, but as I'm a practical person, I went for something you can leave at home," he said. [translated]
He continued,
"If the clock has my face printed on it, it may not look too nice. I mean, sometimes one may want to hide the fact that she or he is stanning. Merch with a face? You can also create it, but then I can also make my gift that way too, but I wanted to give you something a bit less eye-catching," he said. [translated]
Jin then mentioned that he wanted to make 10,000 clocks to gift his fans. However, the idea wasn't cost-effective. So, he opted for flowers to give alongside the clock as souvenirs and promised his fans that he would prepare something even better next time. He concluded by adding that his fans could look forward to the second session of the event, which is when Jin performed his debut solo single, The Astronaut live.
"When we first planned, I wanted to give it to all of you who arrived on site. I initially suggested making a few thousand or 10,000. Then I realized those became pricey (laugh). So I prepared flowers and clocks to give to those of you who are here. Sorry, I could not gift or give more to you. If I have another good opportunity like this, I'll come up with something better from the earlier stage so I can gift it to you. Then, see you all in the 2nd session. bye! See you later!" he said. [translated]
All physically capable men are required to serve in the military for 18 months by the time they are 28. In 2020, the government enacted a law allowing well-known music singers to postpone until they were 30 years old. The septet's other six members are still on active duty.
