BTS members RM and V start compulsory military service in South Korea. Band seeks to reunite in 2025

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BTS members RM and V have commenced their mandatory military service in accordance with South Korean law, as confirmed by their management agency. This development comes just before their fellow bandmates, Jimin and Jung Kook, are also expected to fulfill their military obligations.

Jin, J-Hope, and Suga, three other members of BTS, have already been engaged in their respective conscription activities. The plan is for all seven members of the popular K-pop group to reunite as a cohesive unit in 2025 once they have completed their military service. Notably, Jin and J-Hope are serving in the army, while Suga is fulfilling his duty as a social service agent, which is an alternative form of military service.

HYBE, the management company overseeing BTS, announced that RM and V have arrived at an army boot camp situated in the central city of Nonsan to commence their 18-month compulsory service.

Jimin and Jung Kook are set to report to the army concurrently, although the exact date was not immediately confirmed by the company, despite South Korean media reports indicating a likely arrival at the boot camp on Tuesday.

In a statement shared on his Instagram account, RM expressed his sentiments, saying, “I’ve been so happy to have been a part of BTS for the past 10 years… Eighteen months can feel both long and short at the same time, and I’m sure this period will be a strange and new time of inspiration and learning for all of us. See you in the future. I love you a lot.”

During their military service, RM and V will undergo five weeks of combat training before being assigned to specific units and duties. The Military Manpower Administration has emphasized that the BTS members will undergo the same processes as other South Korean males conscripted for service.

Under South Korean law, the majority of able-bodied men are required to serve 18-21 months in the military. While special exemptions are granted to athletes and classical artists who excel in certain international competitions linked to national prestige, such exemptions do not extend to K-pop singers.

In the past, there was a contentious public debate over whether BTS members should be exempt from military service due to their artistic achievements. Some politicians argued in favor of such exemptions. However, in October 2022, the management company announced that all seven members of BTS would fulfill their military duties, effectively ending the debate. In December of the same year, Jin became the first BTS member to enter the army, withdrawing his request to delay conscription.

BTS, which made its debut in 2013, boasts a massive global fanbase known as the “Army.” The group achieved worldwide acclaim with their 2020 megahit “Dynamite,” their first all-English song, which topped Billboard’s Hot 100 chart. BTS has performed to sold-out audiences around the world and was even invited to speak at United Nations meetings.

Mandatory military service remains a sensitive issue in South Korea, where young men drafted into the army must suspend their studies or professional careers, leading to heated debates and gender tensions in a fiercely competitive job market.

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More about K-pop military service

• BTS Members RM and V Begin Military Service in South Korea
• South Korean Military Conscription Laws
• BTS and Their Impact on the Global Music Industry
• Debate Over BTS Military Service Exemption
• BTS “Dynamite” Topping Billboard’s Hot 100
• Challenges of Mandatory Military Service in South Korea