BTS member J-hope discharged from military

The ‘hope’ that keeps us going: BTS member J-hope reacting after being discharged from his mandatory military service outside a military base in Wonju.— AFP

K-pop megastar J-hope from BTS ended 18 months of South Korean military service, and hailed the “sacrifice” of soldiers working to keep the country safe, as fans wept for joy at his return to the industry.

The seven members of the world’s most popular boy band have been on a self-described “hiatus” since 2022 due to their military service, which South Korea requires of all men under 30 due to tensions with the nuclear-armed North.