Seoul:
The last two members of K-pop superstars BTS to report for mandatory military service, Jimin and Jung Kook, were set to begin their training on Tuesday, South Korean media reported, putting the entire mega group on hiatus.
All able-bodied men in South Korea must serve in the army for at least eighteen months.
After years of debate over whether BTS deserved a rare exemption, Jin, the group's oldest member, signed up last year, with the remaining members following suit in 2023.
The BTS septet has become a global cultural phenomenon, selling out stadiums around the world and dominating major US charts while raking in billions for the South Korean economy and building an international legion of fans known as ARMY.
BTS members J-Hope and SUGA signed up earlier this year. Two more members, RM and V, signed up on Monday.
Now the last two members of the group will begin their five-week basic training at an army boot camp on Tuesday, Yonhap news agency reported.
“I think I will be able to rely on Jung Kook a lot since we joined together,” Jimin said late Monday during a livestream with fans on web platform Weverse.
“I will come back after doing a good job,” he added.
During an earlier livestream, Jung Kook thanked his fans and said he had led a “busy life.”
BTS's label BIGHIT MUSIC confirmed in November that the group's final four members would sign up, but did not reveal any further details.
Earlier this year, BTS agency chairman Bang Si-hyuk said the band's military service slowed K-pop's global growth.
South Korea offers exemptions from military service to some individuals, including Olympic medal-winning athletes and some classical musicians, but K-pop stars are not eligible under the existing program.
And in an intensely competitive industry where artists can be easily replaced, some male K-pop stars have faced challenges in resuming their careers after completing their duties.
BTS agency HYBE announced in September that all seven members of the group had renewed their contracts, without providing further details.
The announcement means that all seven members will likely remain with the agency after completing their military service.
(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)