On Thursday, a line of Song fans will line up in Seoul for a cuddle from Jin, who is returning to his position as a K-pop hero after 18 months in the military.
His first open occasion since being discharged from the military on Wednesday is the three-hour workout.
The 1, 000 people who will be embraced were chosen through a lottery, though Jin has stated that he had thought about giving up to 3, 000 supporters hugs.
” I’m so glad now that I may meet Jin”, says Ms Park who learned last weekend that she had won a place in Thursday’s “hugathon”.
” I did n’t expect to win. The 32-year-old woman who did not want to reveal her first name says,” I could n’t believe it, so I kept checking over and over again over the weekend.
She claimed that only when she began packing to travel to the funds, things started to “feel true.”
Jin, 31, who is the oldest member of the hit boy band, was drafted in December 2022. He served as an assistant drill instructor at a training centre for the South Korean military, which requires all able-bodied men to serve.
Jin is the first BTS member to be discharged from duty. The other six – J-Hope, V, RM, Jimin, Jung Kook and Suga – are still serving and the band is expected to reunite only in June 2025.
Fans are now agog over images of their small homecoming on Wednesday because the others took time off to celebrate Jin’s returning.
In a video where he thanked supporters for waiting for him, Jin said,” I love you, thank you for it. I did try to express my thoughts tomorrow”.
Thursday’s kisses will be followed by another occasion, with 3, 000 people, where Jin may do songs on demand and communicate messages with fans.
Vanessa May Leuterio, 25, did n’t get lucky in the raffle but she made it to the second round- and flew from the Philippines to attend.
” I cried]when I learned the effect] since I prayed very difficult for a winning slot”, she said. It was undoubtedly difficult to win because it was me versus the dozens of BTS fans [who] wanted to join].
Ms Park, on the other hand, is both thrilled and nervous.
Even if Jin became more healthy in the military, she claims, “it’s difficult to carry a thousand persons for three hours.”
She said some supporters wanted HYBE, the singer’s boss which is also behind the occasion, to ask fewer supporters for smiles. They even wanted them to vet the guests.
” He could be approached by someone who posed as a lover. We supporters are continually worried for the author’s health and safety”, Ms Park says.
The competition also drew criticism for its certification requirements, which required supporters to sign up for the Troops, which is said to have more than 25 million members. To provide the lottery, they had to purchase BTS songs on a designated website, where the more albums they purchased, the higher their probabilities of being hugged.
However, this sparked controversy, and HYBE was accused of using the occasion to buy songs that had not already been sold. After the firm finally apologized and relaxed the requirements, anyone who had previously purchased a particular BTS album was still permitted to do so.
Jin addressed the discussion in his video on Wednesday:” This is something that the business and I prepared in good purpose, but kindly know”.
To followers, Jin’s gain is also the beginning of BTS ‘ return from a required hiatus. However, the problem that industry executives are asking is whether the most well-known boy band in the world can achieve the same level of success after a break.
“BTS may be perceived as older”, says song writer Lim Hee- min. But he does n’t think that will necessarily hurt the band’s image.
“BTS has been around for more than ten years. They wo n’t draw in new, young fans who will find them appealing, but their existing fan base will support them. They are getting older with the group.
Viewers seem to believe. ” I think that should n’t be a problem between ARMYs and BTS”, says 20- year- old Samantha, who did not win the chance to hug Jin but will attend the second part of Thursday’s event.
She has been following the band since she was 10 and does n’t see that changing anytime soon:” I like their music, not their popularity”.