K-pop legends RM and V of the iconic band BTS have officially bid farewell to South Korea's military after honorably completing their mandatory service. On Tuesday, in the picturesque city of Chuncheon, they rendered their final salutes amidst a sea of ecstatic fans, some of whom had embarked on journeys from as far as Mexico, Turkey, and Brazil to witness this historic moment.
Reina Lorena Quintero Sevilla, after a grueling 18-hour flight from Mexico City, exclaimed, "The journey seemed like a blink of an eye, fueled by our uncontainable excitement to be here, to see our beloved boys freed, to be in South Korea, the very homeland of our idols whom we cherish deeply."
RM and V embarked on their military journey in December 2023, joining their fellow BTS members Jin, J-Hope, and Suga, who were already deep into their respective conscriptions. Jin, the资深成员 of the K-pop juggernaut, was discharged in June 2024, followed by J-Hope in October. Jimin and JungKook are set to follow suit on Wednesday.
Suga, the seventh and final piece of the BTS puzzle, is serving his duty in a unique capacity as a social service agent, an alternative path chosen in lieu of traditional military service. His discharge is anticipated later this month.
With hearts set on reunification, the seven BTS members harbor plans to reconvene as a cohesive unit sometime in 2025.
In South Korea, the conscription system mandates all physically fit males aged 18 to 28 to serve in the military for 18 to 21 months, a measure intended to deter aggression from neighboring North Korea. While elite athletes, classical and traditional musicians, and ballet dancers, among others, who have secured top honors in specific competitions and are deemed to enhance national prestige, are granted exemptions, K-pop stars and other entertainers are not afforded such privileges.
However, the BTS members secured a reprieve when the National Assembly amended the Military Service Act, allowing K-pop stars to defer their enlistment until the age of 30. Public discourse on granting special exemptions for BTS members reached a fever pitch until the band's management announced in 2022 that all seven members would fulfill their civic duties without exception.
