Military Nurse Leaves Post Without Permission To Meet BTS' Jin; May Face Imprisonment

A South Korean military nurse may face criminal charges for leaving her assigned post unauthorized to meet BTS member Jin, who is currently enlisted in the country's mandatory military service.

An unnamed nurse, who was identified to be female, reportedly fled her workstation at the 28th Infantry Division during work hours and drove about 30 minutes to visit the 5th Division Recruit Training Center at Yeoncheon-gun in Gyeonggi Province, where the 30-year-old "The Astronaut" singer was stationed, according to AllKpop. The incident happened in mid-January.

The medical professional allegedly had a close relationship with "Mr. D" — a medic assigned to the same division as Jin — and both had conspired to approach the singer beforehand.

From around 1:30 p.m. to 3:30 p.m. KST, she administered a second vaccination to treat the singer's hemorrhagic fever at the medical office. Afterward, she went back to her workstation and even bragged about her encounter with Jin, sharing with her colleagues that "Jin was in much pain," per AllKpop.

The military nurse reportedly left her unit without the permission of her supervisor in advance, which may be penalized under Article 79 of South Korea's Military Criminal Law, which states: "A person who temporarily leaves his/her place of service or a designated place without permission or fails to arrive at a designated place by a designated time shall be punished by imprisonment with or without labor for not more than one year or by a fine not exceeding KRW 3 million."

It has also been revealed that the nurse may have illegally distributed a significant amount of medicine called Tylenol — often used to treat mild to moderate pain caused by headaches, muscle pain, colds, sore throats and fever, among others — to the 5th Division Recruit Training Center.

She allegedly overhead a conversation with Mr. D about the shortage of such medicine and had offered to supply a large quantity in that division, leading to speculation of unauthorized distribution.

Such action is considered illegal as each division only receives a certain amount of medicine, and they are strictly monitored. In most cases, military soldiers with pre-existing conditions are also not allowed to get their own medication and have to get it dispensed by medical staff on the base, according to Koreaboo.

The nurse, however, denied that she committed such illegal actions, claiming that "a request for collaborative work had come in during the process of greetings" and had reported it before her departure. She also contested that "it would be crazy to leave her station illegally to go to another division, simply to fulfill her personal desires," the outlet noted.

The nurse has yet to be penalized, though the head of the personal department is already aware of her actions.

Jin entered the military in December last year after concluding promotions for his solo debut "The Astronaut." He underwent weeks of basic military training before being assigned to the 5th Infantry Division as an assistant trainer. He is expected to conclude his service in 18 months.