BTS Completes Military Service, Reunites with Fans at 12th Anniversary Festival

SUGA, the last member of BTS, finished his social service duty on June 21, marking the completion of military service for all members of the group in South Korea. SUGA had served as a social service worker instead of in the regular military due to an shoulder injury. BTS debuted in 2013 under Big Hit Entertainment (now HYBE) with seven members: RM, Jin, SUGA, j-hope, Jimin, V, and Jung Kook. The group began gaining popularity in 2016 with the album “Wings” and became the first Korean boy band to enter the Billboard Hot 100 in 2017 with “DNA.” Their all-English single “Dynamite,” released in 2020, reached number one on the Billboard Hot 100, setting a milestone in Korean music history. Military service for the group started in October 2022. Jin was discharged in June 2024, j-hope in October, while RM, V, Jimin, and Jung Kook left active reserve status in early June. To celebrate their discharge, BTS held a 12th anniversary festival at the KINTEX exhibition hall in Goyang City, Gyeonggi Province, on June 13–14. Approximately 60,000 fans attended the two-day event both in person and online. The festival featured around 20 booths for DIY activities, photo zones, including one at Ilsan Lake Park. The highlight of the event was when all members took to the stage during an encore concert from j-hope’s solo world tour “Hope on the Stage.” Jin and Jung Kook performed their solo songs “Don’t Say You Love Me” and “Seven (featuring Latto)” respectively, and they also performed “Jamie Bue” together with j-hope. RM, V, SUGA, and Jimin watched the performance alongside their ARMY through stage screens. Fans from around the world cheered holding purple Lightstick, while waving their national flags to demonstrate the scale of their global fandom. This was the first time all seven members performed together in about four years, following their large-scale free concert at the “Yet to Come” music event in Busan in October 2022. During this time, each member had achieved success with their solo activities. BTS is scheduled to make a full-group comeback in March 2026. Industry experts believe that the successive comebacks of major groups such as BTS, BLACKPINK, aespa, and TWICE will inject new energy into the global K-pop market, which has shown signs of stagnation.