Asia | Boy band of brothers

BTS takes on­ Kim Jong Un

Serving South Korea may be a bit duller than stardom for Jin

A fan waits for K-pop band BTS's member Jin to arrive before he enters the army to serve near an army training center in Yeoncheon, South Korea, Tuesday, Dec. 13, 2022. Jin, the oldest member of K-pop supergroup BTS, was set to enter a frontline South Korean boot camp Tuesday to start his 18 months of mandatory military service, as fans gathered near the base to say goodbye to their star. (AP Photo/Ahn Young-joon)
Image: AP
|SEOUL

Kim Seok-jin is in the globally trendsetting, fabulously lucrative prime of his career. As a member of BTS, the world’s biggest boy band, the 30-year-old has topped charts in many countries, been nominated for several Grammys, addressed the United Nations and met President Joe Biden. Along with “Parasite” and “Squid Game”, his band is the go-to example of South Korean soft power.

This article appeared in the Asia section of the print edition under the headline “BTS takes on ­Kim Jong Un”

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