As the pop culture strides continue to move at a neck-breaking speed, the largest boy band in the entire universe has remained at the very top of the hierarchy in the South Korean pop scene. As BTS continues to achieve new astronomical highs even in the most daunting break of their career as a group, their position as the epitome of stage presence and musical expertise among K-Pop artists remains unwavering.
Only a few months after the group celebrated its 9th year together, the oldest member of the group, Kim Seokjin, entered the military grounds to complete his mandatory conscription while his friends and colleagues continued with their solo activities. On April 18th, BTS had to say goodbye to yet another member, J-Hope – real name Jung Hoseok. One by one, each singer seems to be heading into the imminent chore that awaits all young men in South Korea, but will BTS’ Jungkook join his friends in the military?
Is Jungkoook going in the military?
Jungkook, much like the oldest members, will also have to attend mandatory conscription. Currently, no official schedules regarding the members’ dates of conscription have been released, therefore, it is not yet known when the youngest BTS member will officially enlist. Moreover, speculation can hardly arise, as both members already enlisted long after their solo activities took place, at seemingly unplanned times.
There have been, thus far, two alleged patterns behind Jin and J-Hope’s enlistment. For one, Jin and J-Hope both enlisted after releasing their solo music and projects, meaning any of the remaining members to have released music might soon follow in their footsteps, namely, RM, Jimin, or SUGA. Alternatively, the other motivator behind the conscription date might be their age.
Men in South Korea who are between the ages of 18 and 28 ought to join the mandatory military service, and some of the members had already postponed it before. As the oldest member at 30 years old, Jin had already postponed his enlistment twice since reaching the age of 28, and for this reason, he was naturally the first member expected to enlist. J-Hope, on the other hand, is the third-oldest member at 29 years old, and just recently entered his conscription period after ending his individual promotional period.
Additionally, RM (28), the leader of the group, was supposed to enter the grounds at the same time as J-Hope but chose to postpone for a while longer. Taking these speculative grounds, the members who soon might follow Jin and J-Hope will likely be either SUGA (30) due to his age and the release of his newest album, or alternatively, Jimin (27) who might also enlist in light of his recent album release. Jungkook (25) and V (27), the youngest members, have still not broadcasted any new music to fans, making them unlikely targets of mandatory conscription anytime soon.
For the time being, it appears that BTS fans may breathe a sigh of relief. Some members may be entering military grounds soon, but Jungkook will very likely not be one of them. So for now, anyone can simply enjoy the singer in all of his Calvin Klein glory.