It had been thought BTS might be exempted from the compulsory military duty. Photo / AP
It had been thought BTS might be exempted from the compulsory military duty. Photo / AP
BTS are joining the military.
All seven members of the group are to fulfil their mandatory duties to South Korea - which ask all able-bodied men to serve for 18 to 21 months before their 31st birthday - with oldest member Jin set to be the first to enlist this month, ahead of his 30th birthday in December.
An announcement from Big Hit Music stated: "He will then follow the enlistment procedure of the Korean government.
"Other members of the group plan to carry out their military service based on their own individual plans.
"Both the company and the members of BTS are looking forward to reconvening as a group again around 2025 following their service commitment."
The announcement was made on the band's social media pages in the wake of their free concert to support South Korea's World Expo bid in Busan on Saturday.
The statement read: "BIG HIT MUSIC is proud to announce today that the members of BTS are currently moving forward with plans to fulfil their military service.
All seven members of the group are to fulfil their mandatory military duties to South Korea. Photo / AP
"After the phenomenal concert to support Busan's bid for the World Expo 2030, and as each individual embarks on solo endeavours, it's the perfect time and the members of BTS are honoured to serve.
"Since the creation of BTS over ten years ago, the band has risen to international success, broken records, and catapulted K-Pop into the global stratosphere.
"BIG HIT MUSIC has focused to the milestone moment when it would be possible to respect the needs of the country and for these healthy young men to serve with their countrymen, and that's now."
It had been thought the group might be exempted from military service under plans put forward by South Korea's Culture, Sports and Tourism minister Hwang Hee, on the grounds they had already served their country through their huge global success, and other exceptional citizens, such as Olympians and classical musicians, had been excused.
However, the plan was met with opposition from many people who had completed their service and now appears to have been dropped.
