BTS member Suga will enlist for mandatory military service in South Korea by the end of the week, representatives for the K-pop group announced.
“We have further information regarding SUGA’s military service,” BIGHIT Music wrote in a notice dated Sept. 17 on the fan community platform Weverse. “SUGA will be beginning his required service on September 22.”
The announcement continued: “There will not be any official events taking place on the day he starts his service or on the day he enters the training camp. We kindly ask fans to refrain from visiting SUGA at his workplace during the period of his service. Please convey your warm regards and encouragement in your hearts only.”
“Furthermore, please be mindful to avoid getting adversely affected by unauthorized tours or package products that illegally use the artist’s intellectual property,” BIGHIT warned. “Our company will take appropriate measures against attempts at any commercial activity that make unauthorized use of artist IP.”
“We ask for your continued love and support for SUGA until he completes his service and returns. Our company will also strive to provide all the support he needs during this time,” the update said.
Suga also went live on Weverse the day of the announcement. According to a fan translation, he told ARMY his enlistment is not something to cry about, and reminded them that they’d meet again in 2025. He responded to comments about his new, shorter haircut he debuted on the livestream, admitting that he’s still getting used to it.
On Aug. 7, BIGHIT told the BTS ARMY that Suga had begun the process to initiate his military service, soon after wrapping the Asian leg of his Agust D-DAY tour in support of solo album D-DAY, which he released under the moniker Agust D.
BIGHIT first revealed in October 2022 that BTS — Suga, RM, V, Jin, Jung Kook, J-Hope and Jimin — would not be able to perform together as a whole group until 2025 due to their mandated military service. Jin was first to enlist, followed by J-Hope and now Suga.
