BTS announced to fans on June 14, 2023, that they are going on hiatus in favor of solo careers. The group’s members RM, Jin, SUGA, J-Hope, Jimin, V and Jung Kook revealed the heartbreaking news during the BTS FIESTA livestream.
On top of that, it was announced on October 17, 2023, that the group will complete mandatory military service with plans to come back together as a group “around 2025,” after all seven members complete their service.
Keep reading for everything we know about the group’s split.
When Did BTS First Announce Their Hiatus?
News of their hiatus first came in December 2021, when the boys announced that they were taking an “extended period of rest” following their insane rise to fame. Nearly six months later, in June 2022, the group told ARMY it was time for them to say goodbye for now.
“We’re each going to take some time to have fun and experience lots of things,” Jungkook said during their BTS FIESTA. “We promise we will return someday, even more mature than we are now.”
J-Hope added, “I think that change is what we need right now. It’s important for BTS to start our second chapter.”
Is BTS Completing Mandatory Military Service?
All seven members of BTS will be serving in the South Korean military, the band’s label and management company, Big Hit, announced on October 17, 2022.
Big Hit announced that BTS plans to come back together as a group “around 2025,” after all seven members complete their service. “Since the creation of BTS over ten years ago, the band has risen to international success, broken records, and catapulted K-Pop into the global stratosphere,” Big Hit’s statement reads. “BIGHIT MUSIC has focused to the milestone moment when it would be possible to respect the needs of the country and for these healthy young men to serve with their countrymen, and that’s now.”
Big Hit says that the first BTS member to embark in military service will be the group’s oldest member: Kim Seok-jin, also known as Jin. He enlisted on December 13, 2023. A few months later, J-Hope was the second BTS member to enlist in military service on April 18, 2023.
In South Korea, it is mandatory for all able-bodied men born in the country to complete two years of military service prior to turning 28 years old, due to ongoing threats from North Korea. However, there are exemptions available for certain athletes and performing artists, especially those working in classical and traditional music.
When Jin turned 28 in 2020, the government offered him a tw0-year delay in entering the army in recognition of BTS’s efforts in “enhancing Korea’s international image.” He was one of the the first K-pop stars to be offered an exemption.
Jin enlisted into the military in December 2022, with J-Hope and Suga following suit in early 2023. RM, V, Jimin and Jung Kook announced they have begun the enlistment process on November 21, 2023.
Are BTS Members Going Solo?
While BTS has announced a hiatus and their military service, all of the members have since focused on their solo careers. J-Hope, RM and Suga (known for his solo alias ‘Agust D’) have already launched solo debuts in the past, however it was announced that Jin will finally be making his solo debut in October 2022.
“I got the opportunity to work with someone I like, so a single will come out soon,” Jin told a screaming audience at a concert in Busan, South Korea on October 15, 2022.
J-Hope released his album Jack In a Box in July 2022, RM released Indigo in December, Suga dropped D-Day in April 2023 and Jimin gave us FACE in March 2023.V and Jung Kook also made their solo debuts in 2023, with Layover and Golden, respectively.
Are BTS Releasing New Music As a Group?
To celebrate their 10th anniversary as a group, the boys are released a single including all 7 members titled “Take Two” on June 9, 2023.
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