BTS J-hope confirms military discharge date, bids ARMYs goodbye before enlistment

BTS member J-hope is soon to enlist in the mandatory military service in the South Korean army. Before enlisting on April 18, the K-pop idol hosted a live stream to bid goodbye to the fans on Friday. J-Hope thanked ARMYs for their love and support and also promised them a comeback soon.

He confirmed that he will finish his 18-month enlistment on October 17, 2024. Reading a comment that said, “October 17, 2024—Hobi's discharge date, I'll be waiting for this day only,” the rapper retorted, “October 17, right. I’ll be back safely.” See the video here: 

army: "October 17, 2024 - hobi's discharge date, I'll be waiting for this day only"
hobi: "oh, October 17th, Right! 😅😅😅I'll be back safely (with a finger heart)." pic.twitter.com/kNDFIeRqSn

— jayvee (@uarmyvibe) April 14, 2023

Talking about joining the military J-Hope remarked, "To be quite honest, I am somewhat anticipating it. how I will appear when I return. I'm going, folks. I'll make an effort to stop by occasionally, just like Jin hyung did." Meanwhile, BTS’ agency BigHit Music refused to confirm or deny the rumours of J-Hope's reported military date. “It is difficult for us to confirm the date and location of J-Hope’s enlistment. We ask for your understanding in this regard,” the agency’s statement read, as reported by Soompi.

More on BTS' military enlistment 

Earlier, BTS members were given the exemption from serving in the military for some time. However, it was confirmed in October last year that the seven-member group will have to fulfill the compulsory military service. Group’s oldest member, Jin, is currently enlisted. Talking about their comeback as a group, Bang Si-hyuk - founder of BigHit, shared that fans should not put all their hopes on the promised comeback in 2025. He added that he was unable to guarantee a "promised year" since BTS and HYBE would need time to get ready following members' military service.