BTS Shares Reserve Training Photos as Jin, J-Hope, Jimin and V Fit Military Duties Around Tour

Four members back in uniform between concerts

BTS members Jin, J-Hope, Jimin and V have shared photographs from South Korean reserve military training during a break in their ARIRANG world tour, showing how military responsibilities continue after the end of regular service.

Jin posted two photographs on Weverse on November 13, showing himself alongside J-Hope and Jimin in camouflage uniforms bearing reserve forces insignia. V shared his own update on Instagram on November 12 and identified a photograph in his Stories as being from his first reserve training session.

The November timing places the updates about one year and five months after V's discharge on June 10, 2025. One description dates his photo release to December 12, although the detailed accounts of his first reserve session place it on November 12.

A report describing V's uniform photographs says he posted them on the 12th, without specifying the month. It also says it is unknown whether the photographs were taken during reserve training, so it does not resolve the November or December dating.

The four members attended training while BTS was between concert commitments, ahead of scheduled performances in Kaohsiung, Taiwan, on November 19, 21 and 22. Their return to uniform reflects South Korea's reserve system, under which eligible former servicemen generally remain reservists for eight years after discharge and attend periodic training.

For fans who followed the members through their enlistments and discharge ceremonies, the photographs bring two stages of military life into the same frame. The long periods spent serving in the Army have ended. Shorter training commitments still require time in their calendars, alongside recording, travel and performances.

Jin's group photograph brings three reservists together

Jin, the first BTS member to enlist and the first to complete his service, shared a brief message with the photographs of his fellow members. Addressing J-Hope and Jimin, the singer wrote:

You worked hard, guys.

J-Hope stood in the middle of the group, smiling, while Jimin appeared with blond hair and without his military cap. Jin held the camera for the photographs. Jungkook also left a short message of encouragement in the comments.

The three had different assignments during their Army service. Jin worked as an assistant instructor at the 5th Infantry Division recruit training center. J-Hope served as an assistant instructor at the 36th Infantry Division's Baekho Recruit Training Battalion. Jimin served as an artilleryman with the 5th Infantry Division Artillery Brigade.

Jin completed his service in June 2024, J-Hope in October 2024 and Jimin in June 2025. Their shared training photographs therefore bring together members who left the Army at different times but continue to have reserve responsibilities.

V marks his first reserve session

V, whose real name is Kim Taehyung, included his military photographs in an Instagram carousel showing ordinary moments from his life. The BTS singer captioned the collection:

I roughly live like this.

V then highlighted one of the pictures in an Instagram Story, identifying it as his first Reserve Forces session. His photographs included a close view of his uniform, an image outside a building and another showing him sitting on a small chair.

Other pictures showed V eating toast while still in uniform, looking at a public transport route map and riding a city bus. He also shared images of meals, including gimbap, the Korean dish made from rice and fillings rolled in seaweed.

V enlisted in December 2023 and served in Chuncheon, Gangwon Province, with the Special Duty Team, also described as the Special Mission Unit, of the military police under the Army's II Corps. He completed his service on June 10, 2025, leaving the Army with the rank of sergeant.

The photographs gave a personal confirmation of his reserve attendance after accounts of him appearing at training had circulated online. The exact duration of the four members' latest training sessions and their next individual reporting dates have not been announced.

What the Special Warrior patch means

V's uniform drew particular attention because it carried a Special Warrior patch as well as Republic of Korea Reserve Forces insignia. The two markings describe different parts of his military experience: a qualification earned during service and his current place in the reserve system.

Special Warrior is a qualification awarded to soldiers who meet military assessment standards, including in shooting and physical fitness. V had already told fans in March 2025, while he was still serving, that he had earned it.

His Special Duty Team assignment was his unit posting. The Special Warrior qualification recognised his performance against specified standards. Understanding those separate roles helps explain why familiar badges from his Army service appeared in photographs taken after discharge.

Jin and J-Hope, meanwhile, served as recruit instructors, helping train new soldiers. Jimin's artillery assignment involved another branch of Army work. The reserve photographs show those different service histories continuing into the members' lives after their initial military commitments.

Why military training continues after discharge

South Korea's Reserve Forces system, commonly called Yebigun, keeps trained former servicemen available to support national defence. Eligible men generally remain in the reserves for eight years after completing their initial service.

Active military service requires a sustained period working within the armed forces. Reserve service usually means returning for scheduled training while otherwise living and working as a civilian. For BTS, that allows group activities to continue while members fulfil periodic reporting requirements.

Training is concentrated in the earlier years. The Ajou University training guidance lists no training for newly discharged reservists in year zero. For enlisted reservists in years one to four, it specifies two nights and three days for those designated for mobilisation, and four days totalling 32 hours or two nights and three days for those not designated. In years five and six, non-designated enlisted reservists have eight hours of basic training and 12 hours of operational planning training, split into six hours in each half of the year.

For years seven and eight, the guidance lists any unfinished training from years one to six and emergency contact checks in each half of the year. An individual's schedule depends on classification, previous service and other circumstances, so attendance requirements vary.

The guidance separately specifies eight hours of basic training annually for student reservists in years one to six and for professors covered by partial training deferment. Its student and faculty schedule lists sessions in May, October and November, with carry-over training in August and November. Those dates can change according to staffing and training-ground capacity and are finalised in early to mid-January each year. These are the university's arrangements, not confirmed training dates for BTS. The guidance does not establish the members' individual reserve classifications or which requirements apply to them.

Reserve exercises refresh skills that former soldiers learned during their initial service. Activities can include rifle handling, shooting practice, tactical drills and military security education. Other training may cover protection of local areas and infrastructure, or responses to nuclear, biological and chemical threats.

Some programmes use laser equipment and computer simulations to practise military tasks. The purpose is practical: people who have returned to civilian employment still need opportunities to refresh the skills they may be required to use during an emergency.

Two roles within the reserve system

South Korea's reserve structure includes mobilisation forces, known as Dongwon Yebigun, and homeland forces, known as Hyangto Yebigun. Their responsibilities explain why training can involve both supporting Army units and protecting local communities.

Mobilisation reservists prepare to reinforce active military units during wartime or a national emergency. In simple terms, they provide trained personnel who can join and support the regular forces when needed.

Homeland reservists focus on local defence, including communities and important infrastructure. Their preparations concern the places people live and the facilities those places depend on.

The Homeland Reserve Forces were established in 1968 during heightened tensions with North Korea, including the Blue House raid, an attempted attack on South Korea's presidential residence. The system gives South Korea a pool of trained people beyond those serving continuously in its armed forces.

For the BTS members, reserve training is therefore a further stage of a national obligation that began with their original service. The timetable is shorter and less continuous, but it still requires them to report and participate.

How the members reached this stage

BTS completed its initial military commitments in stages rather than leaving and returning together. Jin entered service in December 2022, followed by other members through 2023. All seven had completed their respective commitments by June 2025.

The main dates show how the group moved from staggered enlistments to a reunion and then reserve training:

• December 2022: Jin became the first BTS member to enlist.
• April 2023: J-Hope enlisted and went on to serve with the 36th Infantry Division.
• December 2023: V enlisted, while Jimin and Jungkook began their service together.
• June 12, 2024: Jin completed his Army service.
• October 17, 2024: J-Hope completed his Army service.
• June 10, 2025: V and RM were discharged.
• June 11, 2025: Jimin and Jungkook completed their service.
• June 2025: Suga completed alternative social service, bringing the group's initial commitments to an end.
• November 12 and 13, 2026: V and Jin shared their reserve training updates.

The June 2025 discharges brought six members back before Suga's scheduled completion on June 21. At that point, a new group album release date and world tour schedule had yet to be announced.

Six members, Jin, J-Hope, RM, V, Jimin and Jungkook, served on active duty. Suga fulfilled his obligation through alternative social service. His subsequent reserve and civil defence requirements depend on that classification and may differ from those of the members who served in the Army.

Training fits between ARIRANG tour dates

BTS released its fifth full length album, ARIRANG, in March 2026, its first album as a complete group after the military hiatus. The accompanying world tour began in Goyang on April 9 and was scheduled across 34 cities.

The itinerary has taken the group through North America, Europe and South America, with performances in cities including Tokyo, Mexico City, London, Munich, Toronto, Los Angeles, Bogota and São Paulo. The members completed their recent reserve training during free time before the next performances.

Kaohsiung's National Stadium is scheduled to host BTS on November 19, 21 and 22. The announced Asian run comprises 15 concerts across five cities: Kaohsiung, Bangkok, Kuala Lumpur, Singapore and Jakarta.

Those figures amount to an average of three concerts per city, although the individual schedule determines how performances are distributed. The Kaohsiung and Jakarta concerts are also scheduled for simultaneous cinema screenings in South Korea.

The tour is set to continue into 2027 with stops including Melbourne, Sydney, Hong Kong and Bulacan. Three shows in the Manila area have been announced for March 2027.

For BTS, the practical change since the military hiatus is that performances and military responsibilities now run alongside each other. The members can record and tour together again, while reservists among them continue to set aside time for training.

Key Points

• Jin shared reserve training photographs with J-Hope and Jimin on Weverse on November 13.
• V identified his own uniform photographs as an update from his first reserve training session.
• Eligible former servicemen generally remain in South Korea's reserves for eight years, with training concentrated in the earlier years; official university guidance lists requirements through year eight but does not establish which apply to the BTS members.
• V's Special Warrior patch reflects a qualification earned during his Army service.
• All seven BTS members completed their initial military commitments by June 2025; Suga served through alternative social service.
• BTS is scheduled to perform in Kaohsiung on November 19, 21 and 22 as its ARIRANG tour continues.