In December 2023, 4 members RM, Jimin, V and Jung Kook officially enlisted, marking a 2-year break for the global music group. Recently, the eldest member Jin was the first to be discharged.
In the blink of an eye, half a year has passed, BTS fans are extremely excited to wait for the day the group completes their military service. Although far away from their idols, the Army has never felt too empty because BTS has continuously released music during their absence.
In just the first 6 months of 2024, 3 BTS members have released solo projects. First was V with the English single FRI(END)S. Next, "dancing machine" j-hope introduced a documentary and a special album called Hope on the Street. At the end of May, leader RM released his second solo album - Right Place, Right Person. Recently, Jung Kook also released the single Never Let Go for Army on the occasion of the group's 11th anniversary.
Jimin is not out of the wave. Recently, the male idol announced his comeback with the album Muse, which will be released on July 19. Jimin's pre-release single will be released on June 28 - directly competing with BLACKPINK's youngest member Lisa. The music scene is more bustling than ever as two members of two global music groups compete for achievements. It can be said that the Army is always "full of music" even though the idol is in the army.
However, not everyone is happy with BTS's continuous release of music during this time. Normally, idols who enlist in the army will almost withdraw from entertainment activities, or even not appear in public. BTS is almost an exception when they still release products "regularly". The group occasionally updates the situation and asks fans through social networks.
This has made many people feel confused. Even on the X platform (Twitter), many posts criticized BTS for being selfish. These posts claimed that BTS "stole the spotlight", preventing other groups from shining even though they were absent. This once again "angered" the Army.
Faced with unreasonable criticism, Army tried to protect the 7 boys. Fans pointed out that idols are allowed to release music during their military service, if the product has been prepared in advance. Both BTS and the crew had to work hard to complete the production stages, from music to image before the deadline. BTS is just doing their job well, not responsible for the success of other groups.