On early Monday morning, BTS‘ label, BIGHIT Music took to Twitter to confirm that the seven members of the globally popular South Korean group will indeed go through with compulsory military service in the coming years.
Although fans only had messages of love and support for their favorite band, their attitude towards those with the power to prevent this situation wasn’t as friendly. As a result, the official Twitter account for the Office of South Korea’s president, Yoon Suk Yeol, has gone private in an apparent attempt to dodge the criticism.
Exceptions from the service are granted each year to a small number of people, usually elite athletes or classical musicians. BTS’ team had been working diligently behind the scenes over the past few years for the band to be added to that list, especially considering their order of merit awarded by the government in 2020, but South Korea’s Defense Minister wasn’t interested.
The reactions to the presidential office going private on Twitter have offered some relief to the fans, who seem to be relishing in their power.
BTS’ oldest member Jin will be enlisting in the coming months, after releasing and promoting solo music. RM, SUGA, j-hope, Jimin, V, and Jungkook will follow. According to the official statement, the band will fully reform in 2025, when they’ll resume group activities.
BTS said their “see you soon”s on stage in Busan, on Saturday, Oct. 15, during a concert attended by 50,000 fans and viewed on a live stream by 50 million others.