BTS Swap One Army for Another, Vowing to Honor South Korea’s Draft – By Jin Yu Young (New York Times) / Oct 17, 2022
The biggest question about the biggest K-pop band has been answered.
The members of BTS will enlist in South Korea’s military as required by law, the band’s label said on Monday, ending months of public debate about whether the group qualified for an exemption to mandatory conscription.
The announcement of the band’s decision — which came less than two days after it had performed its first concert in months — effectively confirms the hiatus that the members had first mentioned this summer. The seven members will reconvene “as a group again around 2025” after completing their service, the label, Big Hit Music, said in a statement posted on Twitter.
Millions of dejected fans, who call themselves the Army, took to social media to express their support, grief and disbelief. The move is also likely to have wider ramifications, depriving South Korea of the billions of dollars the band’s followers pump into its economy.
