K-pop group BTS set to reunite as two more members complete military service
SEOUL, South Korea — Two members of the K-pop supergroup BTS have completed their mandatory military service, bringing the band closer to a reunion after years of hiatus on group activities.
BTS has been on a break since June 2022 to focus on solo projects and serve in the South Korean military. All of the group’s seven members are scheduled to finish mandatory enlistment by the end of June.
On Tuesday, members Kim Nam-joon and Kim Tae-hyung, known respectively by their stage names RM and V, saluted in their military uniforms to news media cameras and cheering fans gathered for their release in Chuncheon City.
They thanked their fans and fellow soldiers. Asked what they wish to do the most after their release, the band’s leader RM said he wants to make music and return to the stage quickly.
RM and V join two fellow members, Jin and J-Hope, who were discharged last year after each served for 18 months. Members Jimin and Jung Kook are also set for discharge this week, and the final member Suga later in June.
Military enlistment was a hurdle the K-pop stars had to clear in continuing their successful careers.
All able-bodied South Korean men are required to serve in the military, and only a handful of top athletes and performers are exempted from active duty enlistment.
Starting in 2018, as BTS soared to global stardom and topped charts, some lawmakers called for amending the conscription law to extend exemptions to outstanding pop stars.
In the year before their hiatus, BTS had four of the top 10 bestselling digital hits in the U.S. They have had five Grammy nominations and won the top prize at the American Music Awards in 2021.
An amendment was passed to allow BTS members to delay enlistment until age 30, but bills for exemption stalled amid resistance from the military and concerns about fairness.
Then, in June 2022, BTS made a surprise decision to pause performing as a group. A few months later, the group’s agency Hybe announced that the members would start enlisting in the military with the goal of regrouping in 2025.
The news, which came at the height of the band’s global fame, sent Hybe’s stock price down 25% and raised questions about the group’s future.
But on Tuesday, as hundreds of fans gathered outside to celebrate, a huge sign on Hybe’s headquarters in central Seoul said, “We are back.”
The four members released from duty this week will likely join fans, known as ARMY, in celebrating the 12th anniversary of the group’s debut this weekend.
Speaking after his discharge, V said, “I have remade my mind and body, and now I want to run to ARMY as quickly as I can.”
The need for rest and recharge was among the reasons BTS cited for their break in 2022.
In a rare criticism of the K-pop system, RM said at the time that the constant demands of the industry leaves little personal time for artists.
“After 10 years of living as BTS and working on all our schedules, it’s physically impossible for me to mature anymore,” he said in a 2022 video.
During a livestream on Tuesday, RM said he took a complete break from creative activities over the past year and a half.
“This is the first time I took such a long break from creating. It must have recharged me in some ways, so now that we are back, we’ll make something fun and share with you,” he said. “We have plans in place.”
Mentally ill people are stuck in jail because they can’t get treatment. Here’s what’s to know
Hundreds of people across Alabama await a spot in the state’s increasingly limited facilities, despite a consent decree requiring the state to address delays in providing care for people who are charged with crimes but deemed too mentally ill to stand trial. But seven years since the federal agreement, the problem has only worsened.
Ivey appoints Will Parker to Alabama Supreme Court
Parker fills the court seat vacated by Bill Lewis who was tapped by President Donald Trump for a federal judgeship. The U.S. Senate last month confirmed Lewis as a U.S. district judge.
How Alabama Power kept bills up and opposition out to become one of the most powerful utilities in the country
In one of the poorest states in America, the local utility earns massive profits producing dirty energy with almost no pushback from state regulators.
No more Elmo? APT could cut ties with PBS
The board that oversees Alabama Public Television is considering disaffiliating from PBS, ending a 55-year relationship.
Nonprofit erases millions in medical debt across Gulf South, says it’s ‘Band-Aid’ for real issue
Undue Medical Debt has paid off more than $299 million in medical debts in Alabama. Now, the nonprofit warns that the issue could soon get worse.
Roy Wood Jr. on his father, his son and his new book
Actor, comedian and writer Roy Wood Jr. is out with a new book -- "The Man of Many Fathers: Life Lessons Disguised as a Memoir." He writes about his experience growing up in Birmingham, losing his dad as a teenager and all the lessons he learned from various father figures throughout his career.
