The members of K-pop band BTS will perform their mandatory military duties under South Korean law, their management company said Monday, effectively ending a debate over their artistic achievement exemption.
Big Hit Music said the band’s oldest member, Jin, will rescind his request to defer his draft at the end of the month and take the necessary steps to become drafted. The other six members also plan to serve in the military, according to the company’s filing with financial regulators, which it described as management-related information that could potentially affect investment decisions.
Big Hit issued another statement on Twitter, saying the company and BTS members “look forward to reuniting as a group following their promise of service around 2025.”
No further information was given about the time of her service. The band members performed together in Busan over the weekend to support the city’s Expo bid, but only solo projects appear to be planned until 2025.
“Each BTS member will initially focus on their individual activities based on their plans to serve in the military,” Hybe Corp., Big Hit’s parent company, said in an email to The Associated Press.
The announcement came after Military Manpower Administration commissioner Lee Ki Sik told lawmakers this month that it was “desirable” for BTS members to perform their military duties to ensure fairness in the country’s military service.
Members are approaching threshold age
Under South Korean law, most able-bodied men are required to serve 18 to 21 months of military service, but special exceptions have been granted to athletes and artists who excel in certain international competitions associated with national prestige.
After enlistment, Jin and other BTS members receive five weeks of combat training before being assigned to specific units and duties, according to Military Manpower Administration officials, who stressed that the singers would go through the same process as other South Korean men.
The band — whose other members are J-Hope, RM (Rap Monster), Jungkook, V, Suga, and Jimin — formed in 2013 and has a legion of worldwide supporters who call themselves “Army”.
After building a huge following in Asia, BTS expanded its popularity in the West with its 2020 hit dynamitethe band’s first all-English song, making it the first K-pop act to top Billboard’s Hot 100. The band have performed to sold-out arenas around the world and have even been invited to speak at United Nations meetings.
Q10:21Jenna Andrews opens up about co-writing Butter with BTS
This summer, BTS is dominating the charts with their hit “Butter.” It is the group’s second English-language single after Dynamite, which earned them their first Grammy nomination in 2020. Calgary-born songwriter and vocal producer Jenna Andrews contributed to both tracks. She joined us to explain how she came into contact with BTS label Big Hit Music and what it was like working long distances from her garage with the band.
Whether the BTS members will need to serve in the army has been a hotly debated topic in South Korea, as Jin faced possible conscription early next year. Jin turns 30 in December, the age at which men can no longer delay conscription. Other members are currently aged between 25 and 29, with Suga turning 30 in March.
Because the South Korean draft interrupts young men’s careers or studies, circumventing military duties or creating exemptions is a highly sensitive issue. Opinion polls over the past few weeks showed that the public was divided over whether BTS members should serve in the military.
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