In South Korea, even shining pop stars must perform compulsory military service, and so will the young members of the boy-band BTS, who will be called to serve in the coming months.
Leaving first will be the oldest member of the group, Jin, who will report to the barracks at the end of the year to begin the two-year mandatory naja, his agency said Monday.
Jin, 29, has put off his duty as long as possible, but starting in December, when he turns 30, he will have to spend nearly two years out of the spotlight. His teammates will follow him over the course of 2023.
“Both our company and the members of BTS are looking forward to reuniting as a group again around 2025 after their engagements,” Bighit Music, BTS’s manager, said in a statement.
Despite being arguably the most famous “boys” in all of South Korea, a fame that has come since their debut in 2013, legislation in South Korea requires all men between the ages of 18 and 28 to serve in the military for between 18 and 21 months.
Some celebrities, however, including Olympic athletes, musicians and classical dancers, have in the past been granted exemptions or discounts on duration – which some politicians had also demanded for the seven K-pop idols.
