It has been one year since Jin was discharged from the military after nearly two years of service as an αѕѕistant instructor at the recruit training center of the 5th Infantry Division. Throughout his 18 months of military service, Jin not only became an outstanding sol∂ιєr with excellent achievements but also earned the affection of his fellow sol∂ιєrs and subordinates. On the day of his discharge, many of his comrades shed tears.
Not long after that, according to various кσяєαn sources (including Sports Kyunghyang, Nate News, Star Today, etc.), the former sol∂ιєr Jin kept his promise and returned to visit his comrades at his old unit, which deeply surprised and touched them.
Even after returning to civilian life as a top K-pop superstar, the military memories from those nearly two years have never faded from his heart. From time to time, he openly shares stories from that period, which fans attentively listen to.
In an interview on Weverse, when asked about his secret to becoming popular in the military and receiving affection from the new recruits, Jin did not hesitate to share that he always bought good food for them.
“I spent way more than my military salary to buy food for others (laughs). Those kids have just turned twenty or are starting to prepare for the real world. Compared to them, I have more financial freedom and feel they should be able to eat delicious food and be healthy, so I bought them food,” he said humorously.
And also revealed: “It feels funny saying it myself, but I was known as the ‘God,’ and kids would say, ‘Worship him!’".
What stands out the most is that although he is known for being gentle, humorous, and calm, Jin later revealed that he ℓσѕт his temper once during his service — and the reason behind that only deepened people’s admiration.
Specifically, he began: “All the sol∂ιєrs were nice to me. So, during my time there, I would laugh and say, ‘Sure. It’s ok to be wrong. How can you guys be at fault? Just because I enlisted six months earlier doesn’t mean I get to act like I’m better. Even though I have been in the entertainment industry for ten years, I still don’t know many things and make mistakes. This is how it goes. I’ve only gotten mad one time.”
He likes to be generous and likes to take care of his comrades, but that doesn’t mean he ignores mistakes or subordinates and younger sol∂ιєrs can go beyond their limits. He still held firm principles, especially when a younger sol∂ιєr made a mistake but joked around and showed no remorse.
Jin continued, “One sol∂ιєr got soмєтнing wrong, but they kept joking and said, ‘I’ll take care of it.’ So I told them, ‘It’s ok to get it wrong. I know because I also make mistakes too. But if a senior tells you soмєтнing, you must act like you’re listening. Do you think it’s right to keep taking it as a joke? I understand that, too, since we all have different personalities, but shouldn’t you learn if you don’t know soмєтнing? I will tell you how to do it, so try not to joke around.’”
Through this story, fans can clearly see Jin’s serious side, his leadership ability, and strong sense of discipline. He is generous and empathetic, but he does not tolerate indiscipline, breaking of rules, or frivolous attitudes — a valuable quality and an ideal role model for young people to follow.
Jin also added that thanks to the positive atmosphere among members, his unit achieved an internal survey approval rate as high as 98–99%, while the average is usually only around 38–40%. “During the latter half of my military service, there wasn’t a single person who felt bad about writing letters to one another. Usually, the preference survey for executives and sol∂ιєrs was around 38-40%, but the survey percentage rose to 98-99%. So many people were jealous of our unit because we were all close to one another.” Jin added.
His well-timed strictness, kindness, and ability to lead with sincerity helped Jin not only gain the trust of his comrades but also build a tightly bonded team.
