On Thursday, a thousand BTS fans will line up in Seoul for a chance to receive a hug from Jin, who has returned to his K-pop idol role after completing 18 months of military service.
This three-hour event marks his first public appearance since being discharged from the army on Wednesday.
The lucky 1,000 fans were selected through a raffle, though Jin had initially proposed hugging up to 3,000 fans.
“I’m so happy now that I will meet Jin,” says Ms. Park, who learned last weekend that she had won a spot in Thursday’s “hugathon.”.
“I didn’t expect to win. I couldn’t believe it so all weekend I kept checking over and over again,” says the 32-year-old, who did not wish to reveal her first name.
She said it only started to “feel real” when she began packing for her trip to the capital.
Jin, 31, the eldest member of the hit boy band BTS, was drafted in December 2022. He served as an assistant drill instructor at a South Korean military training centre, fulfilling the country’s requirement for all able-bodied men to serve.
Jin is the first BTS member to be discharged from duty. The other six members—J-Hope, V, RM, Jimin, Jung Kook, and Suga—are still serving, and the band is expected to reunite only in June 2025.
However, the others took time off on Wednesday to celebrate Jin’s return. Fans are already excited about images of their brief reunion on that day.
Jin kicked off his return to the music scene with a livestream where he spoke to fans: “Thank you for waiting for me, I love you. I will try to express my feelings tomorrow.”
Thursday’s hugs will be followed by another event for 3,000 fans, where Jin will perform requested songs and share messages.
Vanessa May Leuterio, 25, wasn’t lucky in the raffle for the hugs but made it to the second round. She flew from the Philippines to attend the event.
“I cried [when I learned the result] since I prayed very hard for a winning slot,” she said. “It was definitely hard to win since it was me versus thousands of ARMYs [BTS fan group] who wanted to join.”
@BTS_twt BTS members gather to celebrate Jin’s return from army@BTS_twt.
The other six members of BTS took time off on Wednesday to celebrate Jin’s return
Ms Park, on the other hand, is both excited and worried.
“Hugging a thousand people for three hours is difficult even if Jin became more fit in the military,” she says.
She said many fans wanted HYBE, the band’s manager, which is also behind the event, to invite fewer fans for hugs. They also wanted them to vet the attendees.
“Someone could approach him, pretending to be a fan. We fans are constantly worried for the artist’s health and safety,” Ms Park says.
The event also drew backlash for its qualification rules, which required fans to join ARMY, which reportedly has more than 25 million members. They also had to buy BTS albums on a designated website to enter the raffle – the more albums they bought, the higher their chances of being hugged.
But this caused an uproar and HYBE was accused of using the event to sell unsold albums. The agency eventually apologised and loosened the criteria to allow anyone who had ever purchased certain BTS albums.
Jin addressed the controversy in his livestream on Wednesday: “This is something that the company and I prepared in good intention, so please understand.”
To fans, Jin’s return is also the beginning of BTS’ return from a forced hiatus. But the question industry insiders are asking is whether the world’s most famous boy band can be as successful after a pause?
“BTS will be perceived as older,” says music critic Lim Hee-yun. But he doesn’t think that will necessarily hurt the band’s image.
“BTS has been active for more than a decade. They will not attract new, young fans who will find them fresh, but their existing fan base will go with them. They are growing old with the band.”
Fans seem to agree. “I think that shouldn’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 doesn’t see that changing anytime soon: “I like their music, not their popularity.”