All Members of BTS to Fulfil Their Mandatory Military Service

Following a long waiting period and several meetings at official levels, BTS have decided to move forward with their mandatory military service, starting with their oldest member and vocalist Jin. The announcement comes just two days after the pop titans put out a massive concert, ‘Yet To Come in Busan’, in support of the city’s bid for being the destination of the World Expo 2030.   

“We’ll withdraw our request delaying Jin’s enlistment at the end of the month and will follow the administration’s enlistment procedures,” the group’s label Big Hit Music outlined in their official statement. Earlier this week, Jin also announced he will be releasing a solo single soon. “I’ve got a chance to work with someone I like,” he revealed during the group’s historic Busan concert that drew 50,000 spectators in person and nearly 50 million viewers on Weverse alone. According to the statement, Jin is set to initiate the process as soon as his solo schedule wraps up in October. The other members of BTS—Suga, J-Hope, RM, Jimin, V and Jung Kook— will enlist based on their individual plans. The statement shed some light on the future of BTS’ activities together as well, stating both the label and the band look forward to “reconvening as a group again around 2025.”

By law, all able-bodied men between the ages of 18 and 28 in South Korea must serve 18-21 months in the military. However, exemptions have been made where athletes, traditional musicians and dancers who have spotlighted South Korea globally and promoted national prestige have been exempted. This exemption does not include ‘popular culture’ acts such as BTS or any other K-pop group. Following the Military Service Act amendment in 2020 however, Jin (born in 1992) was permitted by South Korea’s Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism to postpone his enlistment until the end of this year.

BTS’ dominance in the global music market, their contributions to the South Korean economy, several wins at international award shows—including two Grammy nominations— and their recently appointed diplomatic positions as special presidential envoys for future generations and culture, made government officials and the country at large deliberate over the possibility of exempting them from their military duties. BTS’ own decision to enlist in the military comes after the South Korean government was unable to come to a final conclusion after all the debates.