HYBE Chairman Opens Up On How Military Service Will Affect BTS’s Future

Like other Korean men, BTS’ Military service is inevitable. As the group disbands temporarily to fulfill their obligation, the HYBE chairman discusses how a break will affect BTS’s future. Get the details below. 

HYBE Chairman Weighs In On BTS’ Military Service 

According to the HYBE chairman on BTS’s future, BTS’ next chapter will be one of growth and change. 

Big Hit founder and HYBE chairman Bang Si-Hyuk gave an interview featured on Thursday on CNN’s Quest on Business. There, he addressed BTS’ military service and their current slow-down from group activities and made reassurances about their future plans.

“From the career’s point of view, no artist would be happy to have such a long pause against their will,” he told the news outlet when asked about the members’ military obligations. 

“I think it’s a separate issue from the mindset that we faithfully and gladly serve the country. Yet BTS and I were talking about this since early 2018. So it’s been long discussed, and we’re not done yet.”

Bang disclosed that he and the group planned to use the break to re-invent their career. He added that it is also a chance to get them a much-needed rest after working hard for long. 

“They can’t remain the BTS of today, but need to grow and change as artists,” he further said. 

Jin, the group’s eldest member, reported for mandatory military service in December 2022, with his fellow members seeing him off. Big Hit also announced in February that J-Hope officially began the process of enlisting for military service. He will be the group’s second member to enlist.

The 50-year-old producer expressed hope that K-pop as a whole will continue to grow and expand globally. BTS has plans to “[reconvene] as a group again around 2025,” Big Hit said in a statement in June 2022.

The band admitted that K-pop has not gotten to the level of Afrobeats and Latin Music. He also expressed concern that the interest level in K-pop won’t be there as time goes on.

“Looking at our export indicators and streaming growth, the slow-down in growth is very clear. It would be fortunate if this is a temporary phenomenon caused by BTS’ military enlistment, but I doubt that,” Bang answered in part.

BTS Members Are Focusing On Solo Activities 

Since BTS stepped back from group activities, its members have been keeping busy focusing on solo projects. Some of their projects include ambassadorships with luxury fashion houses, album releases, and various TV shows.

Meanwhile, following official solo releases by J-Hope, Jin, and RM, Jimin will be the next member to drop his album. The upcoming album slated for March 24 is a six-track EP titled Face. 

J-Hope will also drop a special collaboration titled On the Street with J. Cole on Friday. On the other hand, Suga will kick off his first world tour, Agust D, on April 26 in New York. The music star will afterward wrap up in Japan. 

V currently stars in the 10-episode cooking-travel reality series Jinny’s Kitchen, alongside Korean actors Lee Seo-jin and Jung Yu-mi. His real-life friends Choi Woo-Sik and Park Seo-Joon also joined him on the show. 

BTS’ Military service will certainly affect them, but it is good that they made contingency plans.