Members of BTS Plan to Serve Korean Military; Fans Left With Conflicting Feelings

The South Korean group BTS plan to fulfill the mandatory military service. The government requires all able-bodied men aged 18 to 35 to serve in the military under South Korean law, guarding against North Korea. The mandated length of this compulsory military service varies across branches—18 months for the Army and Marine Corps, 20 months for the Navy and 21 months for the Air Force.  

BTS, or Bangtan Sonyeondan in Korean, held a free concert in Busan, South Korea on Oct. 15 to garner support for Busan’s bid for the World Expo 2030 in front of government officials. People from all over world flew to South Korea for the concert with about 50,000 people in the main stadium and another 12,000 at live viewings around at the Busan Port and in the seaside district of Haeundae, as well as 49 million online viewers on Weverse, just one of the official stream sites.  

Just two days later, BTS’ agency BIGHIT MUSIC announced that “the members of BTS are currently moving forward with plans to fulfill their military service” on Weverse. As for their detailed plans, there has not been any confirmation yet since the members have not personally commented. 

Alexandra Dent ‘25 is a casual listener of BTS. “It’s sad, but I guess it is important, since it would be unfair if they didn’t,” she said. “Then again, though, they are international pop stars.” 

While the South Korean government officials does make exceptions for certain situations, they currently do not exempt the military service for “international pop stars” like BTS. For example, it is possible for citizens to delay their service until they are 28 years-old, and exemptions are granted to specific athletes, such as Olympic gold medalists and classical musicians. These individuals must meet the government’s standards by increasing the country’s status and boosting the economy in order to be exempt from active duty. Instead of active duty, these individuals complete military training for four weeks before they can continue their careers. Tottenham Spurs player Son Heung Min was one athlete who received such an exemption in 2018, after helping South Korean win the gold in the Asian Games. 

In the past, these exemptions have not included actors and K-Pop idols, such as BTS. Only in 2020, as BTS’ worldwide influence expanded did the government make an exception for phenomenal K-Pop idols. With what is commonly called the “BTS Law,” certain K-Pop stars are able to defer their military service for up to two years. This provided BTS member Kim Seokjin (more commonly known as Jin), who was 28 years-old at the time of the new bill, more time as the government and public debated about this topic. 

Sophia Sanchez ‘23 has witnessed these debates as an ARMY—the BTS’ fanbase name—since 2016. “The South Korean government began mentioning the possibility of BTS receiving exemptions like other cultural icons from Korea, which was only controversial because BTS are considered K-Pop idols and an idol has never been exempt,” Sanchez said. 

“The South Korean government has been playing a back-and-forth game with BTS for four years, affecting not only their careers but also their personal lives,” she continued . 

As Sanchez noted, the government’s indecisiveness on BTS’ military enlistment has caused uncertainty for their careers, as well as allowing for negative reactions on the members themselves. While a handful of people have fairly commented on South Korea’s exemptions as being “unfair” and “privileging the wealthy,” many have specifically targeted BTS, accusing members of trying to get out of the military enlistment entirely.  

Even after announcing that they will enlist, people are criticizing the members, saying this is just for their image. One Newsweek article is even titled, “BTS’ Army Service Helps Avoid ‘Bad Press’ and Stops the Group ‘Going Stale’” 

Yet, in their own statements, despite what others have said, BTS has always said that they had planned to complete their mandatory military if the government requires them to. “I think the country sort of told me, ‘You’re doing this well, and we will give you a little bit more time,’” Jin said in a Rolling Stone magazine interview. “It’s an important duty for our country, so I will work as hard as I can and do the most I can until I am called up,” he continued. 

Other instances include a 2020 press conference, in which Jin stated that he is “ready to serve anytime,” and in BTS rapper and producer Min Yoongi’s (more commonly known as Suga or Agust D) solo song “어떻게 생각해? (What Do You Think?).” “Woo woo, we’ll go serve in the military when the time comes; I hope all those bastards who tried to get a free ride by selling our names shut their mouths up,” raps Agust D.  

Furthermore, BTS’ contributions to South Korea’s economy and culture have been a main aspect in discussions on their military service. Since increasing the country’s status and boosting the economy are exemption requirements for athletes and classical artists, does BTS not also meet those requirements at a worldwide level? “In my opinion, they have had a larger positive effect on their country than a two-year military enlistment will ever have,” Sanchez said. 

According to President of the Korea Foundation Lee Geun, it is estimated that BTS contributes over $4 billion to South Korean’s economy every year, and in a recent Fortune article, analysts estimate that between 2014 and 2023, BTS contributed $29.1 trillion to the South Korean economy. 

BTS’ impact for South Korea expands beyond the economy, too, becoming the first Asian and Korean artist to win multiple awards in the United States. “When foreigners watch BTS perform, they see the innovativeness of Korea. They see how modern Korean society is. When we are successful in conveying and creating such images abroad, the Korean the government gets a lot of benefit,” Lee stated in a Nikkei Asia article. 

More recently, following the free concert in Busan, government officials have recognized the importance of BTS, saying that it is a “pity” that BTS will be enlisting instead of having an active role as an ambassador for Busan’s 2030 World Expo bid, as they had originally thought.  

On the other hand, a lot of ARMY online have been very supportive of the member’s decisions despite also being sad, which is reflected in Sanchez’s reactions to the situation. At first, she felt “momentarily devastated and angered” at the thought of BTS being in the military until 2025. However, her feelings soon changed. “When it was revealed that Jin had taken the matter into his own hands after waiting for the government, I felt more proud than anything,” she said. 

According to the Big Hit notice, Jin, the oldest member, will be the first in this process by canceling his current enlistment postponement “as soon as his schedule for his solo release is concluded at the end of October.”  

This June, BTS announced that they will be focusing more on solo work, while also creating group content such as their variety show Run BTS and their Busan concert. Jin will be the second member to officially release solo work—the first being Jung Hoseok’s (or J-Hope’s) album Jack in the Box and performance at Chicago’s Lollapalooza a couple months ago.  

Jin will be releasing his single “The Astronaut,” which he co-wrote with Coldplay, on Oct. 28. After that, BTS will continue with their own plans as they have always done.