Kpop’s famous Korean band, BTS, is going to take a break until 2025 due to the entry of its members into military service.
All healthy men in South Korea are required to enlist in military service before their 30th birthday. This is compulsory above all because of the threats they continue to receive from North Korea as they have not yet signed a peace treatment between them. Not performing military service is a crime that can even lead to men that had refused to be imprisoned.
In some cases, such as with athletes who compete internationally or even some world-successful singers, exceptions can be made. Unfortunately for BTS fans, known worldwide as “Armys”, this has not been their case as the members want to fulfill their obligations in their country. The 7 boys of the band are going to join the army as their record label has published in a statement.
The veteran singer, Jin, at 28 years old had already received a permission to delay his military service for two years due to the great success and tours he was having with the band at that time, which gave a very good image of South Korea. Now, at almost 30 he can no longer delay it and will be the first member to enter the army.
The other 6 members are still between 25 and 29 years old so although their entry to military service could be postponed until they are 30, it is expected that they will start it on 2023 so they can get back on stage together in the future.
In the same statement in which the label announced the entry of the boys in the army they also explained that BTS is already looking forward to the arrival of 2025 to reunite again and leave behind the two years break.
Despite of this, the possibility of allowing the band to continue rehearsing or even acting during these years through different permissions is being studied.
According to the Ministry of Defense, the singers will receive the same training as any other South Korean citizen. It will consist of 5 weeks of combat maneuvers and then each of them will be assigned a unity to complete the mandatory 21 months of training.
The entry of the boys into military service is not only a bad news for the “Armys“, who will have to wait at least 2 years to see them together again, but it is also bad for the economy of South Korea. The country will no longer receive the estimated $29.1 billion it has earned during BTS’s nearly 10 years of fame. Thanks not only for their ticket or albums sales but also for the amount of tourists they attract. In addition, the shares of the record company that is in charge of the band’s career, HYBE, have fallen by 2.5%.
