More than a year after finishing his army service, BTS’ V has worn his fatigues again, this time for a reservist’s training day rather than a new enlistment.
The singer, born Kim Taehyung, gave fans a look at his first session with South Korea’s Reserve Forces through an Instagram carousel posted during a break in the group’s Arirang World Tour. The opening frames show him in full military dress, captioned in Korean with a casual “Daechung ileogo sal-ayo” (“I roughly live like this”). He then reposted the third photo to his Stories with a short Korean note marking it as his “First Reserve Forces.”
A familiar uniform, with familiar badges
Sharp-eyed fans quickly picked up on more than the uniform itself. V appeared to be wearing insignia tied to his time in the Special Duty Team (SDT), the elite unit he was assigned to during active duty. The Elite Warrior emblem was also visible, a reminder of his record in service: he was named a Special Warrior and left the army as a Sergeant.
Discharge isn’t the finish line
The photos prompted plenty of confusion online, since V wrapped up his mandatory service in June 2025. But in South Korea, men who complete active duty don’t walk away from the military entirely.
