SEOUL, South Korea — The members of K-pop group BTS will join the military, ending months of questions about whether the group would receive an exemption to the country’s mandatory conscription.
The management company representing the group, Big Hit Music, said the oldest member of BTS, Jin, will revoke his request to delay his conscription at the end of the month, and instead take the necessary steps to join the military, The Associated Press reported.
In a statement, Big Hit Music said that each member of the group would be joining the military, saying that Jin “will initiate the process as soon as his schedule for his solo release is concluded at the end of October.”
The statement did not offer a timeline for when the other members of the group may conscript, saying, “Other members of the group plan to carry out their military service based on their own individual plans.”
In South Korea, almost all men are required to serve in the army by the time they are 28 years old, CNN reported.
Jin turned 28 in 2020, and at that time, the South Korean government delayed his conscription by two years in recognition of BTS’ work “enhancing Korea’s international image,” NPR reported.
Legislators in South Korea had discussed amending the country’s conscription law further, but had not taken any formal action, The Wall Street Journal reported.
After enlisting, the members of BTS will receive five weeks of combat training before receiving formal assignments to specific units and duties, the AP reported. While the military had previously allowed entertainers to serve their conscription by producing material to promote the military, that system was changed in 2013 after complaints over fairness.
Big Hit Music said BTS would reunite “around 2025 following their service commitment.”
The news of Jin’s planned enlistment came just two days after the group reunited for a free concert on Saturday. BTS played a concert for more than 50,000 fans in Busan in support of South Korea’s bid to host the World Expo in 2030.
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