J-Hope begins the ‘third take’ of his life after completing military service

J-Hope, a member of the popular boy band BTS, concluded his military duty on Thursday morning, becoming the second member of the group to return to civilian life.

In the afternoon, J-Hope connected with fans on his Weverse livestream, titled “j-day.” He began by greeting ARMY, the dedicated fan base of BTS.

“Hi, J-Hope is back,” he said. “I can’t believe I’m finally finished with my military duties. I can’t believe it.”

“For the past year and a half, I fulfilled my duty as a young Korean man. I took a temporary break as Jeong Ho-seok [his real name], and now I’m back as J-Hope,” he added. “Thank you all for your unwavering support. I promise to make up for your patience.”

J-Hope said he had a busy morning on the day of his military discharge.

“As soon as I heard the morning reveille, there was so much to do. I had to pack my things and greet other officers and soldiers, taking pictures with them,” he said. “It was a hectic morning in many ways. Everything felt so new.”

J-Hope said he didn’t feel much emotion about his discharge until a week before.

“I asked myself, ‘Am I really getting discharged?’ I had already been on leave and had experienced life outside, so until then, I felt like my discharge was just something that would just happen,” he said. “At that time, I was more focused on my schedule after discharge.”

J-Hope described his discharge as a “third take” on life.

“This is the start of the third take of my life,” he said. “I will slowly show you a better side of myself.”

“I may not look like it, but I’ve gained a lot of weight. I’m going to lose some weight, take care of myself and exercise so I can come back to you looking more handsome and show you many great activities.”

When a fan commented, “Good job. You must have worked really hard there,” J-Hope nodded and said, “I did work hard. But it was also very meaningful. One year and six months is not a short time, and although it was difficult, I realized how precious life in society is.”

He continued, “What I felt as a soldier inside the military was that there are so many people who are working hard to protect our country. I really wanted to say this.”

He also thanked the residents of Wonju, where his military base was.

“Whenever I went on a march, the residents of Wonju, Gangwon, would say, ‘Our sons,’ and ‘Stay strong,’ which gave me so much strength,” he said. “I would also hear, ‘Thanks to you, we can live safely,’ and even though I wasn’t a career soldier, my heart would feel warm. That’s why I felt like I had to say this.”

J-Hope mentioned the decorated backdrop of his livestream, saying, “Our staff have done it for me. The staff also congratulated me in the choreography practice room. I was jealous of Jin, who finished military duty first, for this. I wondered when my turn would come, but it’s finally here.”

He also told his fans that he had read the letters they sent to him.

“I recently read the letters you all wrote by hand one by one. While reading them, I realized that there are many of you who always support BTS and me. I was really grateful.”

He also showed off a large poster filled with letters and messages from his fellow soldiers.

“I am easily influenced by those around me,” he said. “The military is a place where you are influenced by many people.”

“The reason I was able to do well was, first of all, thanks to the support and encouragement of the fans, and also thanks to the officers and soldiers who I directly interacted with and talked to,” he added.

J-Hope also talked about his future plans.

The next BTS members to be discharged are the band’s leader, RM, and member V. They will be discharged on June 10, 2025, and Jungkook and Jimin, who enlisted together, will come out the next day. Suga, who is serving as a public service agent, will be done with his duties on June 21, 2025.

BY YOON SEUNG-JIN, YONHAP [yoon.seungjin@joongang.co.kr]