BTS's J-Hope was scheduled to host the "2023 International Military Cooking Competition," but plans were canceled following the intervention of the Minister of National Defense, emphasizing that soldiers, including those from entertainment backgrounds, should focus solely on their military duties.

On the morning of the 7th, Minister of National Defense Shin Won-sik attended the plenary meeting of the Special Committee on Budget and Accounts at the National Assembly and declared that entertainers serving in the military should not be assigned duties outside of their official postings.

Previously, there had been talk of enlisting J-Hope (real name Jung Hoseok), currently serving as an instructor at the 36th Infantry Division's new recruit training center, as a co-host for the main competition of the "2023 International Military Cooking Competition" that was held today. However, it is reported that Minister Shin personally put a stop to these plans.

Minister Shin stated, "There was a suggestion to have one announcer and a BTS member (J-Hope) co-host the event. I refused because I think it's a good look for the citizens to see a BTS member fulfilling his military duties diligently like any other soldier, adhering to the role inherent to a (soldier)."

The majority of netizens welcomed the decision not to deploy entertainer soldiers to military events. They also expressed hope that entertainer soldiers would continue their service quietly.

J-Hope enlisted as an active-duty soldier in the army on April 18 this year. Following Jin, he is the second member of BTS to undertake military service. He is currently serving as an instructor at the Army's 36th Infantry Division's new recruit training center and is scheduled to be discharged on October 17, 2024. Among the seven BTS members, J-Hope and Jin (real name Kim Seokjin) are currently serving as army soldiers, and Suga (real name Min Yoongi) began his alternative service as a public service worker on September 22.