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BTS member J-Hope had a pretty memorable time while serving in the South Korean military. Even during his 18 months of service, he was super popular and made a lot of younger soldier friends. Many of them really looked up to him and ended up becoming close buddies.
Over time, J-Hope got promoted from a private to a sergeant. Not only did he rise in rank, but he also worked as a drill instructor — the person who trains new soldiers. He once said he chose that role because the food in that part of the base was really good, and he liked eating there. That’s such a J-Hope reason — fun and honest!
He Surprised Everyone With His Love for IVE’s Music
Recently, J-Hope shared some fun stories from his army life during a YouTube show connected to SBS’ Inkigayo music program. The show was hosted by Leeseo from the girl group IVE and Yujin from ZEROBASEONE.
During their chat, J-Hope said he listened to IVE a lot while in the military. In fact, IVE was one of the most-played groups on his base. He even surprised Leeseo by telling her that one of his favorite IVE songs was “Off The Record”. She wasn’t expecting that at all!
He Shouted Out to His Army Friends on the Show
J-Hope got a little nostalgic and gave a fun shoutout to his army friends while talking about IVE. He said, “I listened to so much IVE in the military. If the younger soldiers who were still privates when I left were here right now, they’d be freaking out!” He even joked and asked them, “Are you watching this right now? Did you know your hyung (older brother) was like this?” It was a sweet moment full of laughter and memories.
He Was Promoting His New Song and Bonding with Younger Stars
This appearance was part of his promotions for Killin’ It Girl, which had him performing on all the major Korean music shows — Music Bank, Music Core, MCountdown, and Inkigayo.
While chatting with Yujin from ZB1, he found out that she was actually a big fan of BTS too! She especially liked the rap-heavy track “Ddaeng” and the soft, vocal-filled “Dimple.” It was clear that even the younger stars admire BTS, and J-Hope seemed touched by that.