In an announcement made today (17 October) via Weverse, BTS announced that they will begin their plans of enlisting in the military as part of their national service requirements. In South Korea, men between the ages of 18-28 are required to serve two years in the military. 

Jin, who is set to turn 30 this December, will be the first to enlist following the release of his solo single album later this month. The rest of the members will follow suit based on their individual plans. BTS, as a whole, is said to reconvene by 2025 once they've all completed their military service. 

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"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. 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," wrote BIGHIT MUSIC in a statement on Weverse. 

[공지] 방탄소년단 병역 이행 및 향후 활동 계획 안내 (+ENG/JPN/CHN) pic.twitter.com/jntF90agO4

— BIGHIT MUSIC (@BIGHIT_MUSIC) October 17, 2022

Read BIGHIT MUSIC's full statement below. 

BIGHIT MUSIC is proud to announce today that the members of BTS are currently moving forward with plans to fulfill their military service. After the phenomenal concert to support Busan’s bid for the World Expo 2030, and as each individual embarks on solo endeavors, it’s the perfect time and the members of BTS are honored to serve.

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. 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. Group member Jin will initiate the process as soon as his schedule for his solo release is concluded at the end of October. He will then follow the enlistment procedure of the Korean government. Other members of the group plan to carry out their military service based on their own individual plans. Both the company and the members of BTS are looking forward to reconvening as a group again around 2025 following their service commitment.

With the release of their first anthology album earlier this year it opened the path to allow the members to take some time to explore individual projects. As part of the HYBE family, we support and encourage our artists and are beyond proud that they will each now have time to explore their unique interests and do their duty by being of service to the country they call home.

“Yet To Come (The Most Beautiful Moment)” is more than a track from their latest album, it is a promise, there’s much more yet to come in the years ahead from BTS.

This news followed the group's Yet To Come in Busan concert, which was held in support of Busan's bid to host World Expo 2030. BTS also concluded the "first chapter" of their careers with the release of their anthology album,  Proof which recounted the last nine years of their music and friendship. 

In December 2020, a new law was passed that allowed entertainers who made "great contributions" to Korean culture to defer their enlistment until the age of 30.