BTS South Korean Military Service

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Overview

BTS South Korean Military Service or BTS Army Enlistment refers to the expected mandatory military enlistment of the members of K-pop band BTS. Announced by Big Hit Music in October 2022, the enlistment is expected to start with BTS member Jin that month, followed by other members of the band. The announcement was followed by viral discussions and memes within the K-pop community on social media.

Background

In South Korea, military service is mandatory for able-bodied males between the ages of 18 and 35, who are obliged to serve for a period between 18 and 21 months.^[1]

On October 17th, 2022, South Korean music label Big Hit announced that it would be withdrawing its request to postpone BTS band member Jin's request for enlistment delay.^[2] The announcement stated that Jin, and later other BTS band members, will be enlisting into the military in accordance with the mandatory conscription laws in South Korea. The band plans to reconvene as a group around 2025.^[3]

Online Reactions

The announcement was followed by viral discussions and jokes in the K-pop / BTS Army community on Twitter and other social media websites. For example, on October 17th, 2022, Twitter^[4] user @raplstudio posted a tweet that gained over 6,400 retweets and 33,200 likes in one day (shown below, left). Later that day, Twitter^[5] user @kosmicyoon shared a tweet that received over 20,900 retweets and 87,400 likes in the same period (shown below, right).

More memes about the enlistment were shared by users on TikTok. For example, TikToker^[6] @304huening posted a meme referencing the 2022 Russian Invasion of Ukraine that gained over 148,600 views and 54,000 likes in one day (shown below, left). Also that day, TikToker^[7] @tellmeyoursecrets25 posted a Black Man Crying meme that gained over 28,000 views and 11,700 likes in a similar timeframe (shown below, right).