The world’s biggest boy band BTS will be abandoning their fandom ‘army’ to join the South Korean military for national service.
K-Pop Stars, Bts To Enlist In The Military For Mandatory Service
This was confirmed by their management company Big Hit Music, which also ends years of debate over whether the K-pop stars might be exempted from military duties because of their artistic accomplishments.
According to a statement by the management company, “The seven BTS members had been allowed to put off starting their military service until they turned 30.
The oldest member of the group, Jin, 29, will be the first to enlist in the army while other members, RM, Suga, J-Hope, Jimin, V, and Jungkook will follow suit according to their own individual plans as they are looking forward to reconvening as a group again around 2025 following their service commitment.”
No further information on the timing of their service was given, as the band members performed together in Busan over the weekend in support of the city’s EXPO bid, which will be their last concert as a group until they finish serving in the military.
The band had previously won a deferral when in 2020, South Korea’s parliament passed a bill allowing the biggest K-pop stars to delay their duties until the age of thirty.
The announcement by BTS comes just months after the band announced they would be taking a break, with some members pursuing individual projects.
Just so you know, under South Korean law, all able-bodied men are expected to serve eighteen to twenty-one months in the military to defend against the threat from the country’s nuclear-armed neighbour, North Korea.
But the law allows for special exemptions to be made for some, including athletes, musicians and others who enhance the country’s prestige.
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