BTS members to serve in South Korea’s army

SEOUL, South Korea — The members of Ok-pop band BTS will serve their necessary navy duties underneath South Korean regulation, their administration firm stated Monday, successfully ending a debate on whether or not they need to be granted exemptions due to their creative accomplishments.

Big Hit Music stated the band’s oldest member, Jin, will revoke his request to delay his conscription on the finish of the month and undertake the required steps. The six different BTS members additionally plan to serve in the navy and are “looking forward to reconvening as a group again around 2025 following their service commitment,” the corporate stated in a statement.

No additional information on the timing of their service was given. The band members carried out collectively in Busan over the weekend in assist of town’s EXPO bid, which will likely be their final live performance as a bunch till they end serving in the navy, in accordance to their label.

Hybe Corp., the mother or father firm of Big Hit, stated in an e mail to The Associated Press that every member of the band in the meanwhile will deal with particular person actions scheduled round their navy service plans.

In a letter to shareholders, Hybe CEO Park Jiwon downplayed monetary considerations associated to the BTS hiatus, saying it has a broad sufficient lineup of artists, together with different well-liked Ok-pop teams reminiscent of Le Sserafim and NewJeans and Western performers Justin Bieber and Ariana Grande.

“We have always been aware of the eventuality of mandatory military service, and we have long been making preparations to be ready for this moment,” Park wrote. “In the short term, individual activities for several of the members are planned into the first half of 2023, and we have secured content in advance, which will enable BTS to continue their engagement with fans for the foreseeable future.”

The announcement got here after Lee Ki Sik, commissioner of the Military Manpower Administration, informed lawmakers this month that it could be “desirable” for BTS members to fulfil their military duties to guarantee equity in the nation’s navy service.

After enlisting, Jin and different BTS members will obtain 5 weeks of fight coaching earlier than being assigned to particular items and duties, in accordance to officers on the Military Manpower Administration, who pressured that the singers would go underneath the identical course of as different South Korean males.

While South Korea’s navy for years had assigned enlisted entertainers to duties associated to producing radio and TV materials selling the navy, the “entertainment soldier” system was retired in 2013 following complaints over equity.

Defense Minister Lee Jong-sup stated in August that if BTS members be a part of the navy, they’d probably be allowed to proceed working towards and to be a part of with the group for excursions abroad.

Whether the BTS members should serve in the army had been a hotly debated concern in South Korea as Jin confronted potential enlistment early subsequent 12 months. Jin turns 30 in December, the age at which males can not delay enlistment. Other members are at present between 25 and 29 years previous, with Suga turning 30 in March.

Under South Korean regulation, most able-bodied males are required to carry out 18-21 months of navy service, however particular exemptions had been granted for athletes and artists who excel in sure worldwide competitions which were tied to nationwide status.

The band — its different members being J-Hope, RM, Jungkook, V and Jimin — launched in 2013 and has a legion of worldwide supporters who name themselves the “Army.”

After constructing an enormous following in Asia, BTS expanded its reputation in the West with its 2020 megahit “Dynamite,” the band’s first all-English tune that made it the primary Ok-pop act to prime Billboard’s Hot 100. The band has carried out in sold-out arenas all over the world and was even invited to converse at United Nations conferences.

Since South Korea’s draft interrupts younger males in their skilled careers or research, the dodging of navy duties or creation of exemptions is a extremely delicate concern. Opinion surveys in latest weeks confirmed that the general public was break up over whether or not the BTS members ought to serve in the navy.