There’s “workaholic” and then there’s BTS‘ Jin immediately putting on a several-hour show for fans not 24 hours after leaving the army base he’s called home for the last 18 months.
Still, it’s all in good faith when you can tell the singer had missed his fans every bit as much as they had missed him. What better proof of that statement than the fact that, when the artist’s management team suggested a fan event with high fives, he countered with hugs; and when they suggested a few hundred hugs, he countered with a thousand; and when they tried to enforce a no camera policy, Jin fought for filming to be allowed.
The oldest member of the K-pop phenom that broke out into the Western scene around 2017, nearly four years after debuting in South Korea on June 13, 2013, returned from his military service in the early morning hours of Wednesday. Jin was the first to enlist in December of 2022, and the first to return. He’ll be followed by j-hope in a little over four months.
To celebrate the occasion, Jin was greeted by his bandmates, including a saxophone-happy RM playing 2020’s Dynamite on repeat, and prepared a special event with fans on Thursday. From a thousand hugs to several equally memorable performances, here is a recap of Jin’s “Welcome Home” bash!
Hugging one thousand fans
One after the other, Jin hugged one thousand fans in attendance at Jamsil Arena in Seoul. The lucky thousand were picked through a raffle and the event was free.
The flying hand kiss is back!
It’s not a proper Kim Seok Jin function without the flying hand kiss. After 18 months, ARMYs finally got to see the singer’s signature greeting again. Who knew something that small could be so emotional?
Dancing to Jung Kook’s “Seven”
Look, Jin has never been BTS’ most skilled dancer, but you got to give it to the man, he never lets that stop him from putting on a show. His learning the moves to Jung Kook’s 2023 single “Seven” and randomly performing them on stage was not in our bingo card, but this was definitely one of the highlights of Jin’s fan meeting. We’re sure Jungkook will give ARMYs a run for their money over who can hit repeat on this clip of his “Hyung” and nail the choreography to his song more times.
Performing “Moon” live with an audience for the first time
Before Thursday, Jin had only performed “Moon” twice, during the pandemic, for a crowd of screens during BTS’ Map of the Soul ON:E pay-per-view concerts in October 2020. His solo track from the band’s fourth studio album is a love song to his fans which makes this moment all the more special.
Performance of “The Astronaut”
One of Jin’s best solo songs ever, “The Astronaut” was co-written by the musician and Coldplay and released as a goodbye present for his fanbase before enlistment. Jin only performed it once, in Argentina, during Coldplay’s Music of the Spheres World Tour.
The first-ever performance of “Super Tuna” and a bonus new verse
Not that they don’t deserve it, but we don’t think ARMYs would disagree that they are truly a spoiled bunch. Not only did Jin throw a massive performance and entertainment-filled party for his fans just hours after leaving the Yeoncheon BootCamp he was stationed in for 18 months, but he also prepared a number of world-first exclusives, including the first-ever live performance of his biggest hit, the trot song “Super Tuna.”
Initially meant by Jin as a joke, the song became viral in South Korea, as did the iconic choreography from the music video. Jin went the extra mile by gifting fans an extra never-before-heard verse.
The return of Eat Jin
One of Jin’s most beloved traditions is sharing a meal with fans during a live stream, akin to the “Mukbang” craze that originated in South Korea. The singer had the genius idea to bring it to the live stage, as he enjoyed a plate of sushi and gave fans all kinds of nostalgia-filled screaming meltdowns.
Han River Cat Challenge
There’s a viral dance challenge taking over South Korean social media in the last few months and Jin just had to jump on the trend. Called “A cat walks on the frozen Han River” challenge, it remixes the audio of a years-old self-explanatory news broadcast that someone added a cute dance to.
Gifting attendees with flowers
As Jin wrapped the afternoon up with another flying hand kiss, fans exited the venue, hearts full, to the sight of flower bouquets being distributed. The singer went above and beyond for his fans on the day after his return, but also on the date when BTS and ARMYs celebrated the 11th anniversary of the band’s debut. The two special moments were meshed by fate this year which made for a Festa (that’s the name of BTS’ annual anniversary weeks-long event) they will never forget.
