Jaehwa Bernardo

Article (news)

BTS nears end of military service: 5 things to know

Agence France-Presse

<div><span class="fr-img-caption fr-fic fr-dib" style="width:950px"><span class="fr-img-wrap"><img src="https://od2-image-api.abs-cbn.com/prod/editorImage/1749542378488BTS.jpg" style="width:950px" class="fr-fic fr-dib"/><span class="fr-inner" style="text-align:left">BTS. <em>Photo from BigHit Music&#x27;s X account</em></span></span></span></div><p>SEOUL, South Korea — All the members of South Korea&#x27;s most lucrative boyband BTS are set to finish their military service this month, paving the way for the K-pop super-group to release new music.</p><p>The news has prompted a fan frenzy, with speculation rife about forthcoming releases and even tours.</p><p>AFP takes a look at what is going on:</p><div><br/></div><div><strong>Who are they?</strong></div><p>The seven-member K-pop group known as BTS — short for Bangtan Boys, which means &quot;Bulletproof Boy Scouts&quot; in Korean — are the world&#x27;s most followed music group on Instagram.</p><p>Debuting in 2013, the septet — RM, Jin, V, J-Hope, Jungkook, Jimin, and SUGA — gained moderate recognition in South Korea, but experts say it wasn&#x27;t until their 2017 performance at the American Music Awards that they shot to global fame.</p><p>Over the next five years, they became the most-streamed group on Spotify, the first K-pop act to top both the Billboard 200 and the Billboard Artist 100 charts, and the most-awarded group in history.</p><p>They have also become widely regarded as youth icons and have delivered speeches at the United Nations and met then-US president Joe Biden at the White House to address anti-Asian hate crimes.</p><div><br/></div><div><strong>What happened?</strong></div><p>In 2022, the group said they would be going on a &quot;hiatus&quot; after nine years, citing exhaustion from the brutal K-pop system.</p><p>&quot;The K-pop and idol system doesn&#x27;t allow a person to mature,&quot; said leader RM during a livestream.</p><p>The announcement sparked debate over the K-pop industry&#x27;s structure and its neglect of artists&#x27; mental health.</p><p>But even at the time, analysts said the break seemed to owe more to the need for them to undertake their mandatory military service — from which, despite their massive economic contributions to South Korea, the group were not exempt.</p><p>Six months later, Jin, the oldest of the group, enlisted, with the others following suit.</p><p>South Korea offers service exemptions to some athletes — including Olympic medalists — and also some classical musicians, but no K-pop star has yet received one.</p><div><br/></div><div><strong>What&#x27;s their plan?</strong></div><p>With all the members to be discharged by the end of June, many fans are hoping for a reunion, and RM and V said Tuesday after their release that they hoped to quickly get back to performing.</p><div><a class="fr-green" href="https://www.abs-cbn.com/entertainment/showbiz/celebrities/2025/6/10/bts-megastars-rm-and-v-released-from-military-service-0854"><strong>READ: BTS megastars RM and V released from military service<br/></strong></a></div><p>Their agency, HYBE, has hinted at a comeback — possibly in 2026 — but also said members &quot;need time for reflection and preparation.&quot;</p><p>The group will likely take a &quot;&#x27;visual recovery&#x27; period of around three months,&quot; Yoo Sung-man, an analyst at Leading Investment and Securities, told AFP.</p><p>This would give them time to grow out their military buzz cuts before they are &quot;expected to make a full-group comeback near the end of the year.&quot;</p><div><br/></div><div><strong>Is this good for K-pop?</strong></div><p>It&#x27;s very good for their agency HYBE — which has seen its shares soar — and the industry as whole, experts say.</p><p>Lee Ki-hoon, a researcher at Hana Securities, said a full-member world tour is expected to attract &quot;more than three million attendees annually and generate around 700 billion won (some $500 million) in tour revenue by 2026.&quot;</p><p>Official figures estimate the group accounted for some 0.2 percent of South Korea&#x27;s total GDP at their pre-military peak — and their return bodes well for the industry as a whole.</p><p>&quot;The comebacks of leading K-pop artists like BTS and Blackpink, expands attendance for global tours,&quot; said Lee Hwan-wook of Yuanta Securities Korea.</p><div><br/></div><div><strong>What about the fans?</strong></div><p>Fans are elated to see BTS members back, with a chance to catch a glimpse of them over the next few days.</p><p>The members&#x27; discharge comes days ahead of the annual BTS FESTA, set to take place Friday, marking the group&#x27;s 12th anniversary.</p><p>It is expected to draw tens of thousands of fans from around the world.</p><p>&quot;I planned my trip two years before around the FESTA, because I knew the members will be out by then,&quot; Hannah Chung, a 28-year-old who lives in London, told AFP.</p><p>&quot;I hope we&#x27;re able to see them, at least just once at the concert like 2024.&quot;</p>

<p>All the members of South Korea's most lucrative boyband BTS are set to finish their military service this month, paving the way for the K-pop super-group to release new music.</p>

All the members of South Korea's most lucrative boyband BTS are set to finish their military service this month, paving the way for the K-pop super-group to release new music.