K-Pop Superstar Jin to Carry Olympic Torch in France Ahead of 2024 Summer Games
It will be one of his biggest public appearances since serving 18 months in the South Korean military.
The South Korean K-pop star known as Jin is slated to carry the Olympic Flame at the 2024 Summer Games in Paris, according to reports.
On Tuesday, July 2, 2024, South Korean media outlets like The Korean Times cited inside sources for news that the immensely popular BTS boyband leader would be a torchbearer in France. Representing South Korea, the superstar plans on visiting the Olympics host country ahead of its Friday, July 26, start, an event later confirmed by the singer’s talent agency, HYBE, according to CNN.
“Jin will take part in the Olympic Torch Relay to spread the message of ‘harmony’ and ‘peace,’” Jin’s agents stated. “Jin along with other torchbearers are scheduled to go across various historic sites of the host country.”
Jin’s participation in the Olympic Torch Relay marks one of his first major public appearances since the 31-year-old completed his mandated 18-month military service, according to The Hollywood Reporter. His six bandmates are currently still serving.
Jin's Military Service
Jin, whose real name is Kim Seok-jin, is the frontman for the five-time Grammy Award-nominated group, BTS. With hits such as the Billboard-topping “Dynamite” and “Butter,” the seven-member band has reached certified platinum across the globe since first forming in 2012, including in Asia and the United States.
The singing group, whose other members include RM, V, Suga, Jimin, Jung Kook, and J-Hope, is widely considered to be the most commercially successful Asian music group of all time on the front lines of the Korean pop culture phenomenon, K-pop.
BTS has collaborated with some of the biggest names in the music industry, including when recording “Bad Decisions” with Benny Blanco and Olympic commentator Snoop Dogg.
Jin, the eldest member of the supergroup, began his mandatory military enlistment in December 2022, according to The Korean Times. It was no big surprise for their millions of fans since, in October 2022, BTS’s record label, BigHit Music, announced all seven members were “moving forward to fulfill their military service,” as published on X, the social media platform formerly known as Twitter.
The label stated they were “looking forward to reconvening as a group again around 2025 after their service commitment.”
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More About the Olympic Torch Relay
Since its inception at the 1936 Games in Berlin, the Olympic Torch Relay begins with its first flame in Olympia, Greece. This year saw the flame lit on Tuesday, April 16, according to Olympics.com. After being lit by the sun’s rays, the flame then traveled to Athens and embarked on a journey across the Mediterranean Sea aboard the “Belem,” a three-masted ship with a destination for its host country’s first stop, Marseilles, on May 8.
Between then and July 26 — the first day of the 2024 Summer Olympics — the torch will have been carried through over 400 French cities before making its final stop in the host city of Paris for the Opening Ceremony. Some of the most historic stops include Omaha Beach, Bordeaux, and the Château de Compiègne.
“The epic Olympic Torch Relay will offer a unique insight into France’s history,” the Olympics website stated. “It will build links between different eras and showcase exceptional sites that contributed to France’s reputation and influence during each major period of its history.”
Ten thousand torchbearers, including Jin, comprise 69 teams of 24 individuals, including athletes, coaches, and volunteers, all members of the 34 Olympic and Paralympic Federations.
There will be 1,000 torchbearers for the Paralympic Torch Relay.
The torch’s planned route can be found on the Olympics webpage, though specific dates and locations for Jin’s participation in the relay were not disclosed by his agents.
