After BTS member Jin enlisted in the military in December 2022, he left fans baffled by bagging the “Special Class (Elite) Warriors” rank (“Elite Soldier” hereon) within just four months of joining the service
The prestigious title is given to soldiers who display extraordinary physical fitness and mental resilience. According to the BTS member, many of his colleagues contributed positively to this impressive achievement.
Talking about the “elite soldier” title in his recent Weverse Magazine interview, the singer revealed that he was able to hone his firearm shooting skills every time new recruits joined his camp, and he worked hard to increase his stamina on his own.
“It varies by camp, but at ours, we got a chance to practice using firearms every time new recruits came. So I got to practice shooting, and I was always doing exercises like sit-ups or pushups on my own, so I got progressively stronger. We had to run with the trainees, and the assistant drill sergeants can’t fall behind, so I forced myself to keep running until I got better at it.”
— Jin
But apart from his own hard work, the encouragement of his colleagues also played a big role in helping Jin prepare for the “elite warrior” tests. From tips on how to manage his diet the day before the test to pushing him to give his best till the last moment, the idol recalled having a solid support system in his seniors.
“When I was working on getting that title, my senior soldiers all swarmed over to me and said, ‘Don’t eat dinner or your stomach will be flopping around and you won’t be able to run tomorrow.’ So I said I’d only eat a little bit, and they said, ‘No. Or if you have to, limit yourself to a single spoonful.’ Then, the next morning, they said, ‘Today’s the big day. Don’t drink any more water.’ So I said, ‘Just one sip!’ And they said, ‘Just one sip, then, and no more.”
— Jin
His seniors even made sure that Jin couldn’t feel his legs hurting while running with an ingenious hack and “absolutely covered [him] in icy hot spray.”
While the singer’s seniors were busy taking care of him, Jin, too, made sure to be a lovable senior to his junior soldiers.