It was a sad sad day for the ARMY to learn that the members of the global K-pop band BTS have opted to honor their country’s mandatory military enlistment.
And no, I don’t mean the literal Army, but the endearing nickname that the BTS fanbase is more popularly known by. Mind you, at the time, there were talks to exclude the boys from the two-year service due to their contributions to arts and culture.
They, however, decided to forego any special treatment to honor their civic duties. Now, with the last member of the band, namely Suga, having completed his run, the frenzy is back on and swiftly building up to pre-enlistment levels.
At this rate, it’s a battle of whose faves will be returning first; BLACKPINK or BTS! Either way, this year will surely be coming up K-pop, and not just because of Netflix’s bold and daring animation, ‘K-pop Demon Hunters.’
What We Know About BTS’ Military Enlistment
Having confirmed that all seven members of BTS will be honoring their military enlistment, the band officially went on hiatus in 2022. Its members, however, carried on with individual activities whenever they could obtain a leave to do so.
In June 2024, Jin, the oldest BTS member, completed his military service. Suga, who didn’t join the others in the army, but rather fulfilled his duty as a social service agent due to a prior shoulder injury, brought in the rear.
His discharge on Saturday made him the fifth member to be discharged from the mandatory service, after RM, V, Jimin and Jung Kook were discharged a few days shy of the band’s 12th anniversary Festa concert.
j-hope ‘HOPE ON THE STAGE’ FINAL Photo Sketch
@ (https://t.co/i6b8WJ0Jnt)
@ (https://t.co/SItxx0SUW4)#jhope #제이홉 #HOPE_ON_THE_STAGE_TOUR_FINAL #HOS_TOUR_FINAL #jhope_TOUR pic.twitter.com/RecHHV8xxA— BTS_official (@bts_bighit) June 23, 2025
Suga Releases Statement Hinting At Future BTS Plans
Following his release, Suga penned a heartfelt note to fans.
Here is Suga’s entire statement translated to English:
“Hello, everyone. Nice to meet you. It’s a SUGA. It’s been about two years. How have you all been. It’s been a long time since I was called off today. It’s a day I’ve been waiting for and it’s been a long time, so I had a lot of thoughts on how to say hello. First of all, I wanted to say thank you to the fans who have been waiting for us. I really missed you.”
“I think I had two years to think about myself. In particular, I wanted to take a step away from what I had been doing for a long time. In the meantime, I have not been able to look back on myself because I have been running forward, but this time has been an opportunity to look back on myself.”
The statement continued, “Dear ARMY, thank you for your patience and thank you very much. And I’m sorry for making you disappointed and worried about what happened last year. Above all, it was so upsetting that it hurt the fans’ hearts. I felt sorry for the members who must have felt heavy in their seats because of me. In the future, we will try our best to repay the love you have given us. I love you. Everyone, I’ll keep you posted from time to time.”
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