"I ask you for your cooperation please" — BTS' Jin shares a Weverse update on the personally suggested FESTA 2024 ‘free hug’ event

On June 12, 2024, BTS Jin took to the South Korean social media platform Weverse, where he shared an update regarding the personally suggested FESTA 2024 'free hug' event. He requested ARMYs cooperation as there would be many people at the event (on June 13). As translated by X user @miiniyoongs, he stated:

"I ask for your cooperation, please."

On June 6, 2024, BigHit Music shared a press release on Weverse regarding Jin's in-person event to celebrate 2024 FESTA. In the update, the agency mentioned:

"This event was prepared in order to fulfill Jin's wish to spend a meaningful time with ARMY in person on BTS's debut day. We invite you to join us as we express our gratitude for your unwavering love for BTS."

---

BTS' Jin requests fans to pass quickly at the in-person FESTA event

Jin is all set to conduct an in-person FESTA event to commemorate the group's eleventh anniversary on June 13, 2024, at Jamsil Arena in Jamsil Sports Complex, Songpa-gu, Seoul, South Korea. The event comprises two events, including the first session called 'Jin's Greetings,' and the second one titled 'Message from Jin: June 13, 2024.'

The first session is scheduled to begin at 3 pm KST, where the singer would meet and greet fans. Subsequently, he would give light hugs to the fans during this three-hour-long meet.

In the second session, the Moon singer would deliver electrifying performances that ARMYs wished to see, starting at 8 pm KST. While 1000 fans attending the first session would get the opportunity to hug the idol, the second session would consist of 4000 individuals.

Following his discharge from the Army's 5th Infantry Division in Yeoncheon, Gyeonggi-do, Jin did a live broadcast on Weverse. After that, he shared a post on the platform stating that the agency BigHit Music worked hard to prepare for the upcoming FESTA.

In his post, he mentioned that during the livestream he exchanged the idea of giving out free hugs with the company, but his message was delivered incorrectly. As translated by X user @miiniyoongs, he stated:

"The company worked hard preparing for festa, but I said just what I said <in the live> to make my free hug idea seem even better everyoneㅠㅠ I think my message of trying to say we brainstormed the idea together got delivered a bit incorrectlyㅠㅠ."

He expressed his concern for the fandom stating that there would be many people attending the event and having a conversation after a hug would be difficult. Thus, he requested them to allow others to continue the act. The idol further stated, as translated by X user @miiniyoongs:

"Tomorrow, since there will be many people for the hug, I ask that you please pass by as quickly as possibleㅠㅠ its most likely that a conversation will be difficult, so after a quick simple hug, please pass by so that everything may run smoothly. I ask you for your cooperation please, (cutely) ♡."

During the Weverse live, which ran for 19:26 minutes, the idol confessed it was his idea to hug as many fans as possible as they waited for him for a year and a half. Jin added that at first his ideas were criticized, citing the safety concerns, and then he proposed them for FESTA since he would have to do it alone.

He talked to the director in charge of the event in October-November, to which the team responded that they had already planned the most activities. He later pitched an idea of a free hug event at an "outdoor" location, which was again declined by the team.

The Moon singer talking about hug free event idea (Image via Weverse)

However, Jin kept insisting that he wanted to do it. As a result, both the company and Jin discussed and concluded that the idol could give hugs to 1000 ARMYs. Jin stated, as translated by @miiniyoongs on X:

"They proposed that instead of a free hug, how about indoors where one person at a time is let in and I tried to argue against saying I wanted an outdoor one. And they also said I should only do 50 since its the day after my discharge, but I said no, 3,000 people, and they finally agreed to 300, and I said no as much people as possible, and they said 500, and I said no, more and we finally agreed on 1,000 people."

---

BTS members, including Kim Namjoon, Suga, j-hope, Jimin, Kim Taehyung, and Jungkook, welcomed the Moon singer outside the training center as he was discharged from mandatory military service.