Rachel Schaffner – Staff Writer
rls6117@psu.edu

Fans of the famous K-Pop group, BTS, otherwise known as Bangtang Sonyeondan or Bulletproof Boys, received the news on October 17 that the band will be fulfilling their mandatory military service in South Korea. The oldest member of seven ,Kim Seokjin, or Jin, was closing in on the age when he needed to complete his mandatory military service back in 2020, but South Korea had given all of them a bypass for the next couple of years, extending the age limit to 30 at the oldest. 

This choice gave BTS more time to create music for their fans, known as ARMY. BTS comprises seven members, RM, Jin, Suga, J-Hope, Jimin, V, and Jungkook. Seeing how Jin is closing in on the age limit of military service, HYBE Labels announced that the entire band will be fulfilling their mandatory service. 

On June 9, BTS released a new song for their fans called “Yet To Come The Most Beautiful Moment,” giving the message of the future of the band, saying that the best has yet to come. While not only does it relate to BTS’ future, the song’s message connects to the listener’s future and that the best has yet to come for them, leaving ARMY with a positive message behind before they went on hiatus. 

“Proof” is a compilation album released on June 10. This project comprises BTS’ most famous and memorable songs so that ARMY can relive the memory of its humble beginning back in 2013.

Before they announced their leave for the military, in the summer after their album was released, HYBE Labels announced that the members would be going on a hiatus to focus on their solo careers and working on themselves before having a reunion. Unfortunately, their hiatus will be longer than ARMY was thinking. 

Before they announced their military service, the band got back together one last time for a free concert in Busan on October 15. Announced as their “Yet To Come” concert, ARMY got to come together with BTS one last time before they released the news of BTS fulfilling their military service until 2025. Now for the next three years, ARMY will patiently await the return of their beloved K-Pop band.