Seoul, South Korea – The second member of South Korea’s BTS – the first K-pop band to be nominated for a Grammy – has begun the enrollment process for mandatory military service, a management official confirmed Monday, the group’s oldest member. Two months after the start of the service.
BTS members said last year they would join forces with Jin, who turned 30 and enlisted in December after postponing his service as long as he was allowed.
An official from the band’s management, BigHit Music, said on Sunday that another member, 29-year-old J-Hope, whose real name is Jung Ho-seok, applied to end the moratorium on his own enrollment.
“We would like to inform our fans that J-Hope has begun the military enlistment process,” the statement read. “We ask for your continued love and support for J-Hope until he completes his military service and returns safely.”
All able-bodied South Korean males aged 18 to 28 must serve in the military for approximately two years.
A 2019 legislative amendment allowed globally recognized K-pop stars to delay signing until the age of 30. Some parliamentarians insisted on reducing their service sharply as required by Olympic and Asian Games medalists and some classical musicians, but their efforts made little progress.
South Korea’s defense minister has said that BTS members can perform overseas while serving. Several actors have been designated as “entertainment soldiers”.
In a separate statement on Monday, BigHit said J-Hope would release a solo single on Friday titled “On the Street,” which he wrote as a “gift” for fans to share their feelings.
The seven-member group has pursued solo projects since announcing a break from group musical activities in June.
