The military boot camp in Nonsan, South Chungcheong, was crowded with ARMY, fans of K-pop superstar BTS, on Monday afternoon. They had gathered together, despite the drizzling rain, to get a glimpse of their superstars heading into the camp to officially begin their mandatory military service.


The fans were spotted waiting at the entrance of the camp, some in tears. However, the vehicle containing members V and RM passed through the gate at around 1 p.m. without further ado. The rest of the BTS members, who'd accompanied the two members as a show of support, were also inside the vehicle, according to the reports.

Though BigHit Music had previously asked fans to refrain from visiting the boot camp, dozens turned up nonetheless. A red chartered bus featuring the face of V and a message reading, “Happy V Day, Happy Birthday Taehyung,” even made an appearance. V's real name is Kim Tae-hyung, and his birthday is Dec. 30.

Though the members kept a low profile on Monday, they said their goodbyes over the weekend.

Jimin and Jungkook, who haven't started their mandatory service yet, will enlist on Tuesday. All members of BTS will be serving in the military as of this week.

BY YIM SEUNG-HYE [yim.seunghye@joongang.co.kr]