K-pop Boy Band BTS Members To Enroll For Compulsory Military Service

K-pop boy band BTS' member Jin will join mandatory military service in late October. HYBE released a statement confirming the news on Friday. Jin will observe the enlistment process of the Military Manpower Administration. Other members of the band will follow with their enlistments according to their plans.

Soompi reported that Bighit Music released a statement for fans saying that since the creation of BTS more than 10 years ago, the band has risen to international fame, broken records, and catapulted K-pop into the international stratosphere. The agency has been waiting for the milestone when it would be possible for the group to meet the needs of the country. This milestone would enable the young band members to serve with their fellow countrymen.

BTS member Jin will begin the process as soon as his schedule for his solo release is set at the end of October. He will follow the enlistment process of the South Korean government. The statement added that the other group members also plan to complete their military service. Both the company and the members of BTS are hopeful for a reconvening as a group again around 2025 once their military service commitment is over.

All able-bodied men in South Korea aged between 18 and 28 must join the military service for 18 and 21 months as part of efforts to defend against nuclear-armed North Korea. However, some have won exemptions, or served shorter terms, including Olympics and Asian Games medal winners and classical musicians and dancers who won top prizes at certain competitions. Some lawmakers even called for BTS to be exempted from military service.

Reuters reported that BTS announced a break in June from their musical activities to pursue solo projects, leaving questions about the band's future. They reunited to perform a free concert Saturday in Busan in support of South Korea's bid to host the World Expo 2030 in the port city.

In a note to shareholders, Hybe CEO Park Jiwon downplayed monetary considerations related to the BTS hiatus. He said it has a wide lineup of artists which includes other popular K-pop groups such as Le Sserafim and NewJeans and Western performers Justin Bieber and Ariana Grande.

The announcement about BTS joining the military service came after the commissioner of the Military Manpower Administration Lee Ki Sik, told lawmakers that it would be desirable for BTS members to fulfill their military duties to ensure fairness in the country’s military service, AP News reported.