K-pop giants BTS are one step closer to reuniting.
Jin, 31, the first member of the boy band to enlist in the South Korean military, was discharged on Wednesday morning, according to BTS’s label. Over the next year or so, his bandmates will be completing their mandatory military service, which is required for almost all South Korean men.
BTS shocked the seven-member group’s dedicated fanbase, collectively known as the military, in June 2022 when they announced they would be taking a hiatus to enlist. The group’s oldest member, Jin (real name Kim Seokjin), began his 18-month military service in December of that year. His enlistment came after much debate about whether BTS should be exempt from military service, like Olympic medalists and some classical musicians.
Still, the group was given some leeway: Most South Korean men must enlist before they turn 28. Just days before Jin’s milestone, lawmakers amended conscription laws to allow pop artists who have risen to national fame to defer enlistment for two years. Researchers say BTS’s global success has contributed billions of dollars to South Korea’s economy.
The group’s music also appears to be a military asset: Earlier this week, South Korea streamed K-pop music to North Korea, purportedly including BTS hits “Dynamite” and “Butter,” in retaliation for hundreds of trash balloons that North Korea sent to the South.
Recently, the band’s label I begged the fans Fans were urged to refrain from gathering at the military facility on the outskirts of Seoul where Jin is scheduled to be discharged. Fans were not the only ones looking forward to this day. Jin said, “D-100” Countdown to March on social media.
Here’s what you need to know about BTS and the Korean draft.
Conscription periods are becoming shorter.
For decades, conscripted soldiers typically served for three years. By the early 2000s, this period had been reduced to 24 months. As of 2021, the minimum enlistment period has been reduced to 18 months.
Military service lengths vary: 18 months in the Army or Marines, 20 months in the Navy, and 21 months in the Air Force. All members of BTS enlisted in the army except for Suga, who is doing alternative service in social welfare. According to local media, Jin served as an assistant drill instructor for new recruits.
The band members continue to release music.
The final BTS members to enlist – RM, V, Jungkook, and Jimin – began their military service in December.
The band members have also been commercially active, releasing music and videos they produced before their enlistment. Last month, the group’s leader RM released the album “Right Place, Wrong Person,” accompanied by a series of music videos. Jungkook, whose English album “Golden” hit No. 1 on Billboard’s Top Album Sales chart last year, has released a new single in 2017. Friday.
The reunion can’t come soon enough.
BTS’ label announced that the members will reunite in 2022 “Around 2025That’s still on plan, according to a spokesperson for the label’s parent company, Hybe, though given the group’s military draft timing, fans will likely have to wait until at least mid-2025 to see all seven members on stage together.
But fans were ecstatic on Wednesday. “I can’t believe this day is here,” one fan wrote to X. “It brings me to tears.”
Jin is due to make a public appearance in Seoul on Thursday, where he promises to hug just 1,000 fans.