The final member of the K-pop supergroup BTS to complete military duty

The final member of the K-pop supergroup BTS to complete military duty

South Korean singer Suga of K-pop mega group BTS arrives at a police station in the Yongsan district of Seoul on 23 August, 2024, for questioning after being charged with riding an electric scooter while under the influence late night on 6 August. SUGA, a member of the K-pop megaband BTS, will officially complete his mandatory military service on 21 June, 2025, marking the full return of all seven members of the global supergroup from duty.AFP

The seven members of the international supergroup BTS will all return from duty on Saturday, with SUGA, a member of the K-pop megagroup, officially finishing his required military service.

Due to tensions with the nuclear-armed North, South Korea's most profitable musical group has been on a self-described "hiatus" since 2022 as its members completed the mandatory service required of all South Korean men under 30.

Prior to the much-awaited reunion of the group as a whole, SUGA will be the last member to finish his service.

According to South Korea's Military Manpower Administration and the band's agency HYBE, his last day ends at 11:59:59 p.m.

The rapper's label claims that after using all his remaining vacation, he successfully completed his service on Wednesday as a social service agent, an alternate type of military duty.

This photo taken on on 11 June, 2025 shows Jungkook (L) and Jimin of K-pop supergroup BTS sharing a happy moment at an outdoor sporting facility in Yeoncheon, shortly after their release from 18 months of South Korean military service. K-pop megaband BTS is back from military service, and their international fandom -- long known for its progressive activism -- is celebrating by rallying behind a cause: adoptees from South Korea.AFP

 

On the Weverse platform, SUGA wrote, "Above all else, I wanted to.... truly thank our supporters who waited for me all these time." The group's fans are generally referred to as ARMY.

"You have been sorely missed."

The Korea Culture and Tourism Institute estimates that the megaband's annual economic impact before enlisting in the military was over 5.5 trillion won (USD 4 billion).

Analysts predict that BTS's expected return to extensive touring will contribute to HYBE's operating profit increasing by 71% year over year in the upcoming year.

It is impossible to overestimate the significance of BTS's reunification for HYBE, K-pop, and South Korea in general. "They are unique in their contribution to the Korean Wave," Yale University sociology professor Grace Kao told AFP.

 

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