SEVENTEEN is headed for some big changes, as most of the boy band’s 13 members are currently serving or gearing up to enlist in the South Korean military to fulfill their mandatory service to their country.
But that doesn’t mean the group mates have any plans of putting their musical evolution on pause. In a Hollywood Reporter profile published Wednesday (May 28), the members of the K-pop phenomenon revealed their game plan for the next couple of years as Jeonghan, Hoshi, Wonwoo, Woozi, Mingyu, DK, Seungkwan, Vernon and Dino complete their civic duties, from dropping solo music to reuniting stronger than ever at the end of their service. (Joshua, a U.S. citizen; The 8 and Jun, who are Chinese citizens; and S.Coups, who is exempt due to an ACL injury, are the only members who are not required to serve.)
“This is something that has been inevitable for us all along,” Hoshi told the publication of enlisting. “We have been prepared. We have a lot of projects that we have discussed with [Hybe] very thoroughly up until now.”
First thing’s first: On Monday (May 26), SEVENTEEN dropped new album Happy Burstday, featuring a solo song performed by each member, in addition to three full-group tracks. The move to showcase their individual capabilities before enlisting was intentional, priming each bandmate for more opportunities to explore music even as everyone else in the group is pulled in different directions. It’s a strategy not unlike the one used by BTS over the past couple of years, with all seven of the “Dynamite” singers dropping solo music at different points during their own enlistments ahead of their upcoming post-military reunion this year.
“Up until now, we’ve mostly focused on our group promotions,” Hoshi continued. “We would like to show more of our individualities, each of the members’ personalities and capabilities, so that when the time comes and we get back together again as a group, we‘ll be able to showcase ourselves as a better SEVENTEEN.”
And while nine of the members carry out their service, group leader S.Coups said that he and the other three bandmates plan to “stick together and make something great to showcase to the fans” in the meantime.
“We understand that the fans are very sad that some of us are going to be away, but among ourselves, [we] don’t consider this to be a really huge deal because we know that we are going to stay together,” added Woozi. “We should consider this as quite a long preparation phase for the next album that’s going to be even better and greater.”
According to THR, the nine eligible bandmates must enlist in South Korea before they turn 30. Jeonghan and Wonwoo, who are 29 and 28, respectively, are already serving.
SEVENTEEN is also similar to BTS in that the former’s military shift will come right at the height of the group’s popularity. As announced by Billboard on Wednesday, the “Super” band is the top K-pop group and No. 3 overall on the midyear Boxscore charts, grossing $120.9 million and 842,000 tickets sold on tour in 2025.
The interview also follows a three-year run of six top 10 albums on the Billboard 200. But according to S.Coups, SEVENTEEN — even in spite of its upcoming challenges — is just getting started.
“We are ready to reinvent ourselves,” he told THR. “We are standing at a new starting line, preparing for a new path ahead and ready to blaze a new trail.”
