Sophia Michaels
If there’s one thing BTS ARMY will do, it’s support their Bangtan Boys. After news broke that the seven-member K-pop group would go on hiatus until 2025 while the men fulfilled their military duties, most of their devoted fanbase, known as ARMY, decided to stand behind them with a singular message: “Trust BTS.”
Stan Twitter timelines were filled with live reactions to the news, first with disappointment in the South Korean government but later with support for BTS. While the news was not the outcome many hoped for, the group’s members — Jungkook, Jimin, V, Suga, Jin, RM, and J-Hope — seemed to try and prepare the fanbase for the announcement during their massive concert in Busan over the weekend. During their set, RM told the audience: “If the seven BTS members feel the same way and if you guys have faith in us, we will overcome whatever happens to us in the future, and we will perform with you guys and make music. Please have faith in us.”
“One thing I’ll forever praise BTS for, is their honesty and transparency,” read one tweet from user @mygbebe. “The Festa Dinner, their speeches in Busan, it literally prepares us for this moment where we could easily be confused & sad, but now that we’re informed, we’re understanding and more eager to support them.” (Back in June, the group hosted a live stream of the group’s members having a dinner, talking about their future as a group.)
“One thing I really admire about BTS is that how they gently prepare us for news.. won’t call it handholding exactly but more like the quiet assurance that lends to trust them so easily,” wrote @ddaenggirl__. “Knowing something is coming subconsciously doesn’t prepare you for it actually happening.”
There had been much speculation about whether the Korean government would exempt BTS from enlistment after the country pushed the requirement in 2019 for K-pop artists to serve in the military until age 30, but fans praised the band for seemingly making the decision to join the military on their own.
“As part of the HYBE family, we support and encourage our artists and are beyond proud that they will each now have time to explore their unique interests and do their duty by being of service to the country they call home,” read a statement from the group’s label Monday morning.
Jin will become the first to enlist, due to his age, while the rest of the band will follow suit to serve their 21-month terms. The group’s members will also use the time to pursue music on their own before heading to the military.
“[South Korean] government wanted to see bts’ impact with the busan concert to make a decision but bts did the concert, canceled the military postponement and made a decision themselves instead. I have so much respect for these men,” read one viral tweet from user @hrlykoo.
Ultimately, fans shared their understanding of the group’s decision and stood behind a unified message to trust their favorite artists.
“2025. I trust bts and will support them until the very end. I will stay in that same spot by their side and wait for them,” read a tweet from user @dreamjeons. “And while we wait for them, we’ll be sure to be there when they all do their own projects. we still have more concerts and a time capsule to open, right?”
Some referred to direct messaging in their statement.
“Do NOT forget the last words. ‘Yet To Come (The Most Beautiful Moment)’ is more than a track from their latest album, it is a promise, there’s much more yet to come in the years ahead from BTS,’” wrote @130613fate. “BTS won’t break their promise. Trust them.”
And perhaps fans won’t be getting new music or performances as a group, but fans in Korea assured Army over the world that the members will still be able to access social media during their breaks from the military.
One viral tweet from @odetonamu read: “btw enlistment doesn’t mean we’ll get radio silence for three years. the members will still be able to update instagram / weverse / twt during their breaks so don’t worry!! i’m sure we’ll receive lots of updates from them 💜.”
The band has been candid about the fact that military enlistment was most likely bound to happen. During their cover story interview with Rolling Stone last year, the group shared that “it’ll work out eventually.”
“I think the country sort of told me, ‘You’re doing this well, and we will give you a little bit more time,’” Jin told Rolling Stone last year. Military service, he added, is “an important duty for our country. So I feel that I will try to work as hard as I can and do the most I can until I am called.”
