Jin is the oldest member of BTS, which means that he is the first one to serve his mandatory military service. In South Korea, all men are required to enlist in the military by ages 18 to 28.
Since the BTS singer is turning 28 in 2020, this is enough confirmation that Jin is going to enlist next year. However, the complete details like the exact date are still not known at the moment.
Aside from Jin, a lot of other male K-pop stars will be enlisting by 2020. They are popularly known as the “’92-Liner Idols” as they were all born in 1992.
These are the other idols who will be serving their compulsory duties next year: EXO’s Chen, Baekhyun, and Chanyeol, INFINITE’s L, WINNER’s Hoon, B1A4’s Sandeul, Block B’s Park Kyung, BTOB’s Hyunsik, 100%’s Jonghwan, VROMANCE’s Lee Chang Dong, VIXX’s Ken, Zico, Feeldog, Baro, ZE:A’s Kim Dong Jun, IN2IT’s Jiahn, Block B’s U-Kwon, Daewon, N.Flying’s Lee Seung Hyun, and PENTAGON’s Jinho.
Fans are probably aware of this already since they know their favorite idol’s age, and they probably saw this coming. However, most fans are still in denial that these stars are temporarily leaving the entertainment world.
As we’ve seen in the past, some of the idols who enlisted returned and had a different outlook of the industry. Some maintained their profession, while others slowly faded and transitioned to a different path.
This is exactly the reason why fans are sad to see their idols enlist. Although they understood that it is a part of their culture, many are just simply scared that things will not be the same after they are discharged.
The minimum required period of enlistment is 21 months. K-pop idols have to put their career on hold to complete their mandatory military service. Article 39 of the Constitution of the Republic of Korea states that all citizens have “the duty of national defense.”
The law has no exception. Even though Jin is currently at the peak of his career with BTS, the South Korean law will not adjust for him. After Jin, it will be Suga who’s going to enlist next. Followed by J-Hope, then RM, Jimin, V, and lastly Jungkook.
So fans should enjoy the group with all the members while they still can because next year is going to be a different story for the BTS boys.
