When is BTS’ Suga starting military service?

Becoming The Soldier! OK, that’s not what the initials of the hugely popular K-pop band stands for but it’s rather relevant right now. That’s right, the moment many fans have been anxiously waiting for is finally here. Suga, the sensational rapper of BTS, has spilled the beans on his impending military enlistment.

Suga to join BTS’ military ranks

Mark your calendars because today, September 17, BIGHIT MUSIC, the company behind BTS, has made it official - Suga is set to embark on his military journey come September 22. Suga joins the ranks of his fellow BTS comrades, Jin and J-Hope, as the third member to heed the call of mandatory military service.

Stay tuned for more updates as we await the next chapter in Suga’s remarkable journey. And in case you missed it, here’s the full announcement from the agency:

“Hello. This is BIGHIT MUSIC.

Thank you for your continued support for BTS. We have further information regarding Suga’s military service.

Suga will be beginning his required service on September 22. There will not be any official events taking place on the day he starts his service or on the day he enters the training camp. We kindly ask fans to refrain from visiting Suga at his workplace during the period of his service. Please convey your warm regards and encouragement in your hearts only.

Furthermore, please be mindful to avoid getting adversely affected by unauthorized tours or package products that illegally use the artist’s intellectual property. Our company will take appropriate measures against attempts at any commercial activity that make unauthorized use of artist IP.

We ask for your continued love and support for Suga until he completes his service and returns. Our company will also strive to provide all the support he needs during this time.

Thank you.”

How did the band BTS form?

In 2010, a top executive at Big Hit Entertainment, CEO Bang Si-hyuk, was interested in taking rappers from Seoul who had gained a following and create a rap group. However, plans changed and in the end a pop boy band. The model was the Seo Taiji and Boys, a band that was popular in the 1990s. The members ended up bringing brought together in 2013 when clips of the group’s music were released, it attracted attention on social media including SoundCloud and YouTube.

The name in Korean is Bangtan Sonyeondan, or the Bangtan Boys. Affinity Magazine, highlighted remarks made by BTS member J-Hope that the name is “profound” and that “Bangtan means to be resistant to bullets, so it means to block out stereotypes, criticisms, and expectations that aim on adolescents like bullets, to preserve the values and ideal of today’s adolescents.”

When the members were brought together they lived together in a house paid for by the record label where they practiced fifteen hours a day. In 2017, the band underwent a sort of rebranding and the group announced that their name would from then on stand for “Beyond the Scene” as part of their new brand identity.

How many members are in BTS?

There are seven band members: Jin, Suga, J-Hope, RM, Jimin, V and Jungkook.

Diplomatic power of BTS

Since 2018, the South Korean government has used the band as a cultural and political envoy abroad.

That year in September, the band was invited to address the United Nations General Assembly. Later in the year BTS was invited to an event to celebrate the diplomatic relationship between France and South Korea. The group performed at the Korea-France Friendship Concert in Paris.

South Korean President Moon Jae-in has made the group a Special Presidential Envoy for Future Generations and Culture.

In this role they are tasked with raising “awareness on global agendas, such as sustainable development, to our future generations and to strengthen the nation’s diplomatic power across the world.” Last summer, BTS were invited to the White House and held a 35-minute conversation with US president Joe Biden in the Oval Room, in which they discussed many of the topics affecting young people today.