Jin from BTS begins military service, marking end of an era

BTS star Jin starts his mandatory South Korean military duty on Tuesday, the band's first member to enlist since a hiatus announcement this year left fans heartbroken over the K-pop juggernaut's uncertain future.

The septet is widely considered the country's biggest-ever cultural phenomenon -- selling out stadiums around the world and dominating the charts while raking in billions and building a global legion of fans known as ARMYs.

But all able-bodied men in South Korea must serve at least 18 months in the military, and while there was a years-long debate about whether BTS deserved an exemption, they confirmed in October that all members will enlist.

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Jin -- whose full name is Kim Seok-jin -- will begin five weeks of training on Tuesday, the military said.

Yonhap news agency reported the star is expected to be deployed to a "frontline" unit near the border with North Korea, with which South Korea remains technically at war.

"We ask you to keep your heart-warming words of support and farewell in your hearts," BTS's label Big Hit Music told fans last week, urging them to stay away from the families-only entrance ceremony.