It’s always heartbreaking when news about the military enlistment of our favorite K-Pop idols hits the headlines. With third-gen idols lined up to serve, how are we doing? Let’s talk about it!

by Marian Luisa Palo
Photos from Jin of BTS, Chanyeol of EXO, 
and Jinyoung of GOT7 (via Instagram)
November 29, 2023

While K-Pop is ushering in a new generation of young and fresh talents across the East and even the West, our favorite third-generation idols are bidding us farewell for the military... temporarily. Yes, we're aware, and it's sad!

As K-Pop fans, especially those who have been in the zone for years, we have no choice but to face the sad truth that our idols will one day suit up in their camos and leave the K-Pop scene for a while to fulfill their mandatory military service.

Global superstars BTS recently announced that the last four members who have not enlisted, RM, Jimin, V, and Jungkook, are about to join their elder members, Jin, SUGA, and J-Hope, and become a part of the ARMY (literally).

Despite having accepted this fate, ARMYs all over the world mourned over the news after having just celebrated the members' solo discography journeys following the announcement of their break from group activities in June 2022.

Not only has BTS left dedicated fans falling to their knees upon hearing about their favorites' military enlistment, but the biggest groups like EXO also still have two members out of nine left to complete the service: Kai is currently serving while Sehun is still outside doing his thing, and EXO-Ls wake up every day to the fear that the news is going to ring the bell.

GOT7’s Jinyoung is also in the military as of the moment, the second out of seven members (except non-Korean nationals Jackson, Mark, and BamBam), as well as MONSTA X’s Hyungwon, Minhyuk, Jooheon, and Kihyun.

These are only a few names mentioned, but you get the gist; it's hard being a K-Pop fan watching them slowly hit the barracks one by one. Through it all, the question persists: why do they have to enlist? Shouldn't they be exempted since they're famous artists?

Military service in South Korea is mandatory for all able-bodied Korean men between the ages of 18 and 35 for 18 months. It is not required, however, to start immediately at 18 years old; they can delay it up until 28 years old. As for K-Pop idols, they usually wait until their careers permit them to step back for a while and commit to their civic responsibility.

There are no exemptions for the mandatory military service, except if they have health issues, are professional violinists, pianists, ballet dancers, athletes with medals from the Olympics or gold medals from the Asian Games, or sole breadwinners of their families—none of which mention being a K-Pop artist.

A specific situation wherein an artist’s military service was contested that surely all K-Pop and non-K-Pop fans can remember is when BTS announced that they will enlist despite their line of achievements that had Korean tourism boom rapidly than imagined.

With huge worldwide recognition, Grammy nominations, Billboard Music Awards, and American Music Awards, an Order of Cultural Merit awarded by the South Korean President himself, and outstanding revenues listing their name as one of South Korea’s biggest economic contributors—just to name a few, fans and non-fans had reasons to ask why they weren't exempted.

Of course, this did garner negative reactions, but even a number of Korean nationals believed that they should have been exempted. BTS members were allowed to postpone their military service after the Military Service Act revision in 2020, stating that all K-Pop artists can now wait until 30 to serve—but nothing of exemption.

It’s good, however, that in spite of the backlash, both from those who agree and disagree, they still saw the importance of serving and doing their civic duty the same way other idols and South Korean citizens have, no matter how delayed—true global icons!

Well, the show must go on. BTS, and other third-generation idols, are now out there to fulfill their responsibilities, as they should.

It’s heartbreaking when K-Pop fans have to sit and accept that, beyond K-Pop, these Korean men still have duties as citizens. 18 months seem short, but not when it’s the period your comfort idols have to be temporarily out of the scene.

Until the whole of Korea is no longer in need of mandatory military service, it will be the reality that we fans have to live with—the reality that fans before us had to live with too. We just have to wait for when they get back together and give us the comeback that will surely shake our world. For now, let’s appreciate as a new generation unfolds!