On April 21 KST, media outlet Newsis raised suspicions of “special treatment” surrounding the military enlistment of BTS members Jin and j-hope.
Back on April 18, j-hope enlisted as a new recruit at the 36th Homeland Defense Infantry Division of the ROK Army in Wonju-si, Gangwon province. On this day, a crew of soldiers stood in front of the military base entrance gate, stopping and checking each vehicle entering the premise.
Newsis claimed that most civilians can only have one vehicle entering the military base on the day of their enlistment. The vehicle carrying the newly summoned recruit, his family, and close acquaintances must show proof of his “notice of recruitment” at the gate before being allowed to pass through.
However, a total of six HYBE vehicles were allowed into the military base during j-hope’s enlistment on April 18. The same number of vehicles were allegedly permitted into the military base during Jin’s enlistment in December. Newsis then went on to claim that not only did the military bases provide special clearance for six HYBE vehicles to enter the premise during each enlistment ceremony, but the vehicles and HYBE affiliates all received entry clearance in advance, unlike most civilians who would be stopped for checks upon arrival. Suspicions have thus allegedly been raised for the “special treatment” of the two celebrities, who may have been allowed to bring more acquaintances into the ceremony site than regular civilians.
Regarding the issue, a representative of the military base at Wonju commented, “It’s not that we sent back any civilian vehicles if someone came with two cars of family or friends. The general regulation of one vehicle per recruit was advised for safety purposes, but there was no necessity to strictly enforced the regulation.”
