THE moment that ARMYs feared has finally arrived: K-pop supergroup BTS is temporarily disbanding, to allow its members to join the real-life South Korean army.
This was announced on Monday by the group’s label BigHit Music, which stated that BTS member Jin would be the first one to begin serving at the end of October, as soon as he finished promotions for his first solo music release. Jin turns 30 in December, the age limit for those deferring the mandatory two-year military service.
Other members of the group were said to be making their own preparations to join military service over the course of next year.
The statement by BigHit added that “both the company and the members of BTS are looking forward to reconvening as a group again around 2025 following their service commitment.”
While the possibility of the group breaking up was always there, fans had been hoping that the group would be exempted from serving. The current system allows for some exceptions on the grounds of exceptional service to the country. Some top athletes and classical musicians have been excused on this basis, but pop artistes have not.
We wish all members of the group well, and look forward to seeing them return to the world stage once they finish their service.
