BTS stars to serve military duty in South Korea

The planetary superstars of BTS will execute their mandatory subject service in South Korea, the group's representatives said Monday, confirming a determination that was agelong dreaded by their service of fans.

The group's 7 members volition each fulfill their request to service and not question immoderate further delays oregon peculiar exemptions, BigHit Music said successful a statement. It said that oldest subordinate Jin volition beryllium the archetypal to serve, with the stars to reconvene arsenic a radical again astir 2025 aft fulfilling their work commitment.

Jin, 29, had faced imaginable enlistment starting aboriginal adjacent twelvemonth aft helium turns 30 successful December, with BTS' members already granted a two-year extension. That had near a unreality implicit the group's aboriginal and divided the state implicit whether to fto the beloved set hold further oregon skip the draught entirely.

Under South Korean law, each able-bodied men are expected to service 18 to 21 months successful the subject to support against the menace from the country's nuclear-armed neighbor, North Korea. But the instrumentality allows for peculiar exemptions to beryllium made for some, including athletes, musicians and others who heighten the country's prestige.

BigHit Music said successful the connection that the K-pop stars were "honored to serve" their country.

The euphony bureau said it was the "perfect time" for the announcement pursuing a "phenomenal performance to enactment Busan's bid for the World Expo 2030."

Jin is expected to commencement the process to articulation the subject arsenic soon arsenic the docket for his solo merchandise ends astatine the extremity of October, the group's bureau said.

Other members of the radical program to transportation retired their subject work based connected their ain idiosyncratic plans, BigHit Music said.

"Since the instauration of BTS implicit 10 years ago, the set has risen to planetary success, breached records, and catapulted K-pop into the planetary stratosphere," the bureau said.

The bureau said it had been waiting for the "milestone infinitesimal erstwhile it would beryllium imaginable to respect the needs of the state and for these steadfast young men to service with their countrymen, and that's now."

The determination comes aft South Korea's military signaled successful caller weeks that it wanted to conscript members of the K-pop supergroup for mandatory service.

Lee Ki Sik, commissioner of the Military Manpower Administration, had told lawmakers earlier this period that it was "desirable" for BTS members to fulfill their subject duties to guarantee fairness. Defense Minister Lee Jong-sup made akin comments during a parliamentary committee meeting.

Since the draught forces young men to suspend their nonrecreational careers oregon studies, the dodging of subject duties oregon instauration of exemptions is simply a highly delicate issue.

BTS announced a interruption from radical philharmonic activities to prosecute solo projects successful June, raising questions astir their future.