SEOUL: Singers RM and V of the K-pop band BTS commenced their mandatory military service under South Korean law, according to their management agency.
Jimin and Jung Kook, two bandmates, are also expected to report for duty on Tuesday.
Jin, J-Hope, and Suga, three other members of BTS, are already several months into their respective conscriptions. Jin and J-Hope are serving in the army, while Suga has chosen an alternative route by fulfilling his duty as a social service agent.
HYBE, the management company for BTS, disclosed that RM and V have begun their 18-month compulsory service at an army boot camp located in the central city of Nonsan.
The company further said that Jimin and Jung Kook would report to the army together, although immediate confirmation of their presence at the boot camp on Tuesday was not provided.
The plan is for all seven members of BTS to reunite as a group in 2025 after completing their military service obligations. RM expressed his sentiments in a statement posted on Instagram, stating, “I’ve been so happy to have been a part of BTS for the past 10 years… Eighteen months can feel both long and short at the same time, and I’m sure this period will be a strange and new time of inspiration and learning for all of us. See you in the future. I love you a lot.”
RM and V will undergo five weeks of combat training before being assigned specific units and duties, following the standard process outlined by the Military Manpower Administration for all conscripted South Korean males.
