BTS will be on a group hiatus until 2025 as they are enlisting to serve in the South Korean military, their management BigHit Music announced on Monday.
The news comes following a heated debate in South Korean on whether to change the laws to make BTS exempt from serving.
“The members of BTS are currently moving forward with plans to fulfill their military service,” starting with, Jin, who is turning 30 this year, BigHit Music announced in a statement.
Jin was able to request his that conscription be delayed until the end of the year after a law passed in 2020 that permitted pop stars to postpone their service if South Korea awarded them an Order of Cultural Merits. BTS members are the only group to date who have received that honor.
All men in South Korean are requested to serve in the military for at least 18 months, the only exception is for global award-winning athletes and classical musicians who replace their military duty with alternative services by the Minister of Culture, Sports and Tourism.
Jin hinted about the news during a concert on Saturday, telling the audience, “For now, this is the last concert scheduled for us. I am not sure when I would be able to be in a concert again, so I’m thinking I should cherish this moment.”
The group are expected to return as a group in 2025 and explained the timeline for BTS, “Group member Jin will initiate the process as soon as his schedule for his solo release is concluded at the end of October. He will then follow the enlistment procedure of the Korean government,” the label said.
Adding, “Other members of the group plan to carry out their military service based on their own individual plans.”
Reuters reports that the country’s defense minister said in August that BTS may be able to perform overseas while serving in the military.
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