Eldest Jin Enlists First Followed by Others... BTS Puts an End to Military Service Privilege Controversy

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BTS Jin. Photo by Big Hit Music

[Asia Economy Reporter Kim Heeyoon] The group BTS announced their official stance on military service, stating that the eldest member Jin (Kim Seokjin) will enlist first, followed by the other members in order.

On the 17th, HYBE stated, "Jin will apply to cancel his enlistment postponement at the end of this month and will then follow the Military Manpower Administration's enlistment procedures," adding, "Other members will also fulfill their military service sequentially according to their individual plans."

BIGHIT MUSIC, BTS's agency, revealed Jin's plan to cancel his enlistment postponement and the group's future enlistment plans through an official statement. BIGHIT MUSIC said, "BTS has begun concrete preparations to fulfill their military duties," and "Member Jin will apply to cancel his enlistment postponement at the end of October and will follow the Military Manpower Administration's enlistment procedures thereafter. Other members will also fulfill their military service sequentially according to their individual plans."

The agency continued, "We have been working closely with the artists to finalize their military service plans. We carefully considered the timing to announce this decision, and we judged that now, after the conclusion of the Busan concert supporting the bid for the 2030 World Expo, is the most appropriate time to inform the public," explaining the background of their announcement regarding military service.

BTS consists of seven members, all subject to enlistment: eldest Jin, born in 1992; SUGA, born in 1993; RM and J-Hope, born in 1994; Jimin and V, born in 1995; and Jungkook, born in 1997. The age gap between Jin and Jungkook is five years, making a hiatus from group activities inevitable depending on their enlistment schedules.

BIGHIT stated, "The members will enlist sequentially around the same period, and both the agency and the members hope to resume full-group activities by approximately 2025," but added, "We ask for your understanding as it is difficult to specify the exact timing at this point."

BTS is performing at the 'BTS PERMISSION TO DANCE ON STAGE - SEOUL' held last March at the Jamsil Sports Complex Main Stadium in Seoul. Photo by Big Hit Music

Jin, who is scheduled to enlist in December, previously expressed his stance on military service at a press conference commemorating the release of BTS's 4th full album in February 2020, saying, "I consider military service a natural duty and will respond whenever the country calls."

Member SUGA also candidly shared his feelings in the lyrics of "What Do You Think?" from his solo mixtape released in May of the same year, stating, "The army will take us when the time comes, so all those who try to exploit our name and piggyback on us should just shut up."

However, regardless of BTS members' own intentions, opinions on special military service exemptions and alternative service for popular musicians have been raised and politicized, causing concern for the members and their agency.

At a press conference held in Las Vegas, USA, in April this year, Lee Jin-hyung, HYBE's Chief Communications Officer (CCO), commented on BTS's military service controversy, saying, "The members have consistently stated that they will respond to the country's call, and that intention remains unchanged," but also noted, "The military service system has been changing in recent years, and it is difficult to predict the timing of its application, which has been challenging for the artists."

With the possibility of postponing enlistment until December this year, Jin's decision to voluntarily forgo the postponement and enlist two months earlier was met with mixed feelings worldwide among ARMY (BTS fandom), who expressed support by saying, "We support their decision, true to themselves."

Meanwhile, BTS will focus on individual activities for the time being according to each member's military service plans. J-Hope debuted his solo album in July this year. Jin announced plans to release a solo single before his enlistment during the Busan concert. The remaining members?RM, Jimin, V, Jungkook, and SUGA?are also expected to concentrate on individual projects for the time being.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.