Whether fans like it or not, the seven boys of BTS will have to disappear from the limelight for at least a full year for their mandatory military service but the ARMY has been divided over talks of the group's plans.
Rumors surfaced that the group could enlist in the South Korean military together in the same year so that they could resume their music careers at the same time as well. However, there are also fans who prefer that the boys enlist at their most preferred age or time, while those who remain can pursue their solo careers.
According to reports, some fans are looking forward to the members of BTS pursuing their solo endeavors as artists if the band has to temporarily pause on their work while some members are in the military. They said that this will be an opportunity for the younger boys to spread their wings since HYBE, formerly Big Hit Entertainment, their talent agency, does not allow the boys to take on solo projects currently.
However, other fans have started a social media trend -- #SoloStansOUT -- to profess that they don't agree with the BTS boys' going their individual paths. There are ARMY members who think that the band is stronger as a team of seven and thus they should keep promoting their work as a group or take time off in the music industry to do their part for their country as a group as well.
It comes as HYBE released a brief statement to say that they have no new comment on the boys' plans for the military following an analysis from an investment and securities firm that the talent agency would like to let all seven go to the military at the same time. The BTS boys have until the age of 30 to enlist, which means that some of them have a couple more years to go to wrap up their work as artists.
Jin and Suga were supposed to enlist earlier because of their ages but in December 2020, a law was passed giving the BTS boys and extension of their enlistment date on the basis that they have given the country national pride because of their achievements in music. Thus, Jin and Suga could defer for at least two more years while RM, J-Hope, Jimin, V and Jungkook can enlist sometime between 2026 to 2028.
Reports cited that if the band plans to enlist as a group, they will be working on a new album and several videos for a full year so that these can be released in staggered stages while they are in service. This way, even if they are not actively in showbusiness, fans can still look forward to new music and new videos from BTS.
