A woman obsessed with K-pop group BTS has been caught trying to break into band member Jungkook’s home just hours after he completed military service.
The Chinese woman in her 30s was seen punching random numbers on a combination lock outside Jungkook’s apartment in the South Korean capital Seoul at about 23:20 local time (15:20 BST) on Wednesday, police said.
She had confessed to flying into the country to see the singer, but ended up getting arrested for trespassing.
Jungkook, along with three other bandmates, were discharged from mandatory military service this week, prompting fan frenzy and increasing anticipation for a possible comeback.
All seven BTS members are set to be discharged from the military by the end of this month and their agency Hybe has hinted at a reunion.
They went on hiatus in 2022 at the height of their global fame.
Hundreds of fans, some of whom flew in from overseas, had gathered in front of Hybe’s headquarters to celebrate their idols’ return.
Many of them were dressed in purple, BTS’s signature colour, and carried large banners and photographs of the band.
Jungkook thanked fans for travelling to see him, adding that he was “a bit embarrassed” after not being in front of cameras for a while.
“I didn’t even put on makeup,” he said.
South Korea requires all able-bodied men aged 18 to 28 to serve for about two years in the military.
Exceptions are sometimes made for Olympic medallists and classical musicians.
Before BTS enlisted, South Korea saw furious debate over whether or not they should be allowed to skip the service, with some arguing that they had already served their country by earning it billions of dollars, and that it would be more beneficial to allow them to carry on doing so.
The band had previously won a deferral in 2020, when the nation’s parliament passed a bill allowing them to delay their duties until the age of 30.
In 2022, the oldest member of BTS, Jin, enlisted, and the others followed suit.