K-pop stars BTS to serve military duty

SEOUL, Oct 17 (Reuters) – Okay-pop boy band BTS will go off on obligatory army service, beginning shortly with oldest member Jin, their company stated on Monday.

Jin, 29, has postpone his service for so long as he can and faces the approaching prospect of a full stint – which means practically two years out of the general public eye – when he turns 30 in December.

Since their 2013 debut, BTS have turned a worldwide sensation with their upbeat hits and social campaigns geared toward empowering youth.

“Jin will cancel the request to delay enlistment in late October 2022 and observe the Navy Manpower Administration’s related procedures for enlistment,” the seven-member band’s administration group HYBE (352820.KS) stated in a regulatory submitting.

All different members can even serve the obligatory army obligation in accordance with their respective plans, it added.

“Each the corporate and the members of BTS are trying ahead to reconvening as a bunch once more round 2025 following their service dedication,” HYBE-owned Bighit Music, which manages BTS, stated in a separate assertion.

All able-bodied males in South Korea aged between 18 and 28 should serve within the army for between 18 and 21 months as a part of efforts to defend in opposition to nuclear-armed North Korea. Some classes, nevertheless, have gained exemptions, or served shorter phrases, together with Olympics and Asian Video games medal winners and classical musicians and dancers who win high prizes at sure competitions. Some lawmakers had known as for BTS to be exempted.

BTS introduced a break in June from group musical actions to pursue solo tasks, elevating questions in regards to the band’s future.

They reunited to carry out a free live performance on Saturday within the metropolis of Busan in assist of South Korea’s bid to host the World Expo 2030 within the port metropolis.

Reporting by Soo-hyang Choi; Modifying by Tom Hogue and Susan Fenton

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