BTS’s SUGA Set to Complete Military Service on June 21

On June 18, SUGA's agency, BigHit Music, announced via the fan community platform Weverse that SUGA will soon complete his military service as a social service agent. The agency confirmed that there will be no official event on the day of his discharge.

In their message, BigHit urged fans to avoid visiting the discharge site, citing potential safety concerns due to overcrowding. They stated, “We sincerely ask fans to refrain from visiting the site to prevent safety accidents. Please send your warm welcome and support to SUGA from afar.”

 

The agency expressed heartfelt gratitude, saying, “We are always thankful for the unwavering love and support you’ve shown to SUGA. We will continue to do our best to support our artists.”

SUGA began his alternative service last year and is the last member of BTS to complete military duties, following Jin, J-Hope, RM, V, Jimin, and Jungkook. With his discharge, all seven members will have fulfilled their military obligations, paving the way for a long-awaited full-group comeback.

Trivia:

• SUGA, whose real name is Min Yoon-gi, enlisted in September 2020 and has been actively serving as a social service agent due to health issues.
• BTS members have been open about their military service, and their enlistment has sparked discussions about the importance of serving in the South Korean military, which is mandatory for all able-bodied men.
• The group’s first full comeback since 2020 is highly anticipated by fans, with many speculating about new music and potential world tours following SUGA's discharge.

BTS Starts Military Service

All seven members of the group are to fulfill their mandatory duties to South Korea - which ask all able-bodied men to serve for 18 to 21 months before their 31st birthday - with oldest member Jin set to be the first to enlist this month, ahead of his 30th birthday in December. An announcement from Big Hit Music stated: "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."

 

The announcement was made on the band's social media pages in the wake of their free concert to support South Korea's World Expo bid in Busan on Saturday (15.10.22). The statement read: "BIG HIT 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. "BIG HIT 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." It had been thought the group might be exempted from military service under plans put forward by South Korea's Culture, Sports and Tourism minister Hwang Hee, on the grounds they had already served their country through their huge global success, and other exceptional citizens, such as Olympians and classical musicians had been excused. However, the plan was met with opposition from many people who had completed their service and now appears to have been dropped.