Bangtan Boys, aka BTS recently announced that they are taking a short term break from entertaining the armies. The members of BTS will be doing a mandatory two years military service in South Korea.
About BTS
Forming in 2010, BTS debuted in 2013 under Big Hit Entertainment. Ever since then they’ve gained enormous fame in a few years. Starting under the hip-hop genre, they have explored a lot in other genres to have different experiences.
They are the first non-English speaking Asian band to perform in Wembley stadium and Rose Bowl to get sold out after the tickets were available for sale.
BTS Going For Military Service
In South Korea, all able bodied men from the age 18-28 are bound to do a 2 year mandatory military service according to the law. This law is known for showing gratitude to the country.
Jin Goes First
BTS member Jin will be the first one to enrol in the military. Being the oldest member of the band, he is initiating his part early.
After he finished his projects in October, he is set to start his service in the military. The service will end in 2025.
Not all the members will start their service together. After they terminate their projects, eventually the members will enrol to serve the military.
Bill Pass
BTS’s core company Big Hit Entertainment requested the government to delay the service until age 30. The government approved of the request and allowed them the extended time.
Jin, who is currently 29 years old will be turning 31 until he finishes his period in the military. His age was one of the reasons why they requested for postponement.
Members who are younger than Jin still have enough time to serve. The youngest one among the boys is Jung Kook who is just 24 years old. Other members like Suga, who is currently 28 will be joining the military after Jin.
J-hope and RM being the same age of 27 will be joining followed by Jung Kook. V and Jimin are the age of 26 currently and will finish their period by the age of 28.
Around 2025, after all of the members are done with their period will reunite.
Can BTS Perform While on Military Service?
The government has allowed them to perform while serving in the military.
The defence ministry of South Korea said the members are allowed to perform if there’s a national event or any charitable event which is beneficial for the public good.
While being in the military means they will be out of the public eye for two years until they decide to be in the limelight again.
However, this exemption is only applicable for athletes, dancers, musicians and sports persons.
Reaction of BTS
The band members seem content with the decision. Their managers confirmed that they have no issue with continuing compulsory military service.
New Release
BTS member Jin is set to release his first song ‘The Astronaut’. On 28th October he will be releasing his song at 1 PM KST.
The new trailer of the song has been released. After the release of the trailer, the video has already hit almost 2 million views on YouTube. The song will be released under the HYBE label.
This is the last track any BTS member or the band will ever release until their reunion.
Jin is also collaborating with British rock band, Coldplay. He said that he is very excited for this collaboration. He stated that Coldplay’s lead vocalist, Chris Martin has been an inspiration for him. He feels extremely lucky to work with Chris whom he admires a lot.
Fans Reactions
BTS stans, also known as army, are quite devastated with the news. Some of them were even in disbelief saying that it might be a rumour. Now that it is happening for real, fans seem to be concerned about the members.
Few fans tweeted about expressing their concerns for the members. Some of the tweets are about their security and safety. Some of them even said to the stans who are of faith to pray for them as they won’t be in people’s eyesight for a long time. They also wish that their service period will go smoothly.
Negative Side of the Temporary Break
It seems like the temporary break of the band might cost a huge loss to the South Korean economy. Ever since the form of the band has brought a different recognition to South Korea.
From 2014 to till now, BTS has contributed 3.6 billion dollars to the economy every year. Every member of this boy band has brought 13 tourists to the country.
Analysts projected that so far, the band has contributed 29.1 trillion dollars to the economy. The band has over 50 million dollars collectively according to Forbes.
Now that the band will be on hiatus, the South Korean economy may fall to a huge loss. Their management company HYBE labels have lost it’s stock value till 2.5% after the military conscription.
HYBE label company went public to private in 2020 to cover up the loss during pandemic.
Major media outlets have covered the news of the band’s hibernation. Several news platforms including the likes of BBC and CNN have covered the news.
Naysayers Takes on Reaction of Fans
Netizens are making fun of the fans’ concern about the band members. They’re mocking them for showing concern about someone who doesn’t even acknowledge their existence.
However, fans didn’t spare the netizens. They’ve also reasoned proper logic for their thoughts for the band members.
BTS are known for treating their fans respectfully. Some of their songs are about love, mental health, and healing. Fans have addressed how their songs have helped them going through their mental health issues. Fans will surely be missing BTS while they’re away for the purpose of military service.
