24th November 2022 – (Seoul) In October this year, the seven members of BTS, one of the world’s biggest bands in South Korea will perform military service, their agency has said, ending a long national debate over whether they should receive an exemption.
While many fans of the K-pop sensations were hoping the band members would be given special consideration due to their contribution to the South Korean economy and international prestige, the artists will each serve almost two years in the military.
The agency announced earlier that Kim Seok-jin, a member who will turn 30 on the 4th of next month, decided to cancel the application for deferment of enlistment at the end of October and serve as a soldier. It was reported today that Jin will enlist in the army on the 13th of next month and become the first member of BTS to proceed with his conscription. He will receive a 5-week training at the recruit education team of the front army division of a certain unit in Yeoncheon, Gyeonggi-do, and then be reassigned. He will serve in the frontline troops.
In response, the agency said, “It is difficult to confirm Jin’s enlistment date, so we hope everyone will understand!”
Kim Seok-jin, also known professionally as Jin, is a South Korean singer, songwriter, and member of the South Korean boy band BTS. Kim has co-written and released three solo tracks with BTS: “Awake” in 2016, “Epiphany” in 2018, and “Moon” in 2020, all of which have charted on South Korea’s Gaon Digital Chart. In 2019, Kim released his first independent song, the digital track “Tonight”. His debut solo single, “The Astronaut“, was released on October 28, 2022.
Apart from singing, Kim appeared as a host on multiple South Korean music programs from 2016 to 2018. In 2018, he was awarded the fifth-class Hwagwan Order of Cultural Merit by the President of South Korea along with his bandmates, for his contributions to Korean culture. On 17th October, 2022, Big Hit announced that following the release of Kim’s debut solo single and the completion of its subsequent promotional activities at the end of that month, the singer would begin the enlistment process and carry out his mandatory military service. Kim was previously granted an automatic postponement in 2021—until the end of 2022—following revisions made to the Military Service Act in December 2020. On 4th November, 2022, Kim filed paperwork with the Military Manpower Administration (MMA) requesting a termination of that postponement in order to proceed with his conscription.