On December 12, 2023, Park Jimin and Jung Jungkook, members of the world-renowned KPOP group BTS, officially began their military service. Jimin and Jungkook are the last members of BTS to begin their time in the military. Kim Seok-jin (Jin), the first member to begin his military service, enlisted in December of 2022. Following that, members Jung Ho-seok (J-Hope) and Min Yoon-gi (Suga) enlisted in September of 2023 and finally Kim Nam-joon (RM) and Kim Tae-hyung (V) enlisted on December 11, 2023.
The departure of the beloved members of BTS caused sadness and worry to ripple through their fanbase all around the world known as ARMY. Before V departed, in a caption under a post where he showed his buzzed head, he revealed, “To be honest, I’m alright other than the fact that I won’t be able to make happy memories with ARMY for the time being.”
In South Korea, able men over the age of 18 are required to serve in the military for 18 months. The management of BTS expect BTS to reunite around 2025. The enlistment of BTS caused many to question whether or not KPOP idols, like BTS, should be exempt from doing required military service. Athletes, musicians, dancers and more are excused as long as they have won top places in certain competitions. Those who are not required to do military service are released after three weeks of basic training and must serve around 500 hours of volunteer work. Politicians began to consider expanding these exemptions to KPOP idols, since KPOP has contributed greatly to the image of South Korea. However, an exemption over KPOP idols is not guaranteed. The countdown begins as ARMYs around the world wait, hoping their idols return safely from the military. During this time, the music label of BTS, Big Hit Music, recommended fans not to show up at enlistment areas in order to prevent safety hazards, stating, “Fans are advised to refrain from visiting the site.”
