BTS Wins Global Popularity Artist Award; All Members Except SUGA Have Completed Military Service

BTS received the Global Popularity Artist Award at the 33rd Hantero Music Awards, once again demonstrating their international influence. Nearly 2000 performers took to the stage at the ceremony held on February 15 at the KSPO Dome in Seoul’s Olympic Park to honor the albums and artists who had the greatest impact on K-pop in 2025. BTS was awarded this prize for its global standing and sustained popularity. The award is determined by combining Hantero’s global sales data, fan voting, and judge evaluations. Their victory holds additional significance as the group is preparing for an upcoming Comeback. The status of BTS members’ military service is also noteworthy. J-Hope completed his active duty service at the 5th Infantry Division in the Army, while SUGA finished his service as an assistant at the 36th Infantry Division in Wonju, Gangwon Province. RM and V held their discharge ceremonies at the football field in Cheongcheon, Gangwon Province. Jung Kook and Jimin completed their mandatory service of about 1 year and 7 months at the 5th Infantry Division in Yeoncheon, Gyeonggi Province, after enlisting in December 2023. As of now, all six members except SUGA have finished their active duty. SUGA is scheduled to be discharged on June 21, and once all seven members have completed their service, preparations for a full-group Comeback are expected to begin. Heartwarming moments between the members were captured at the discharge ceremonies. RM played a saxophone to celebrate J-Hope’s discharge, while V presented him with a bouquet at his ceremony. Some of the discharged soldiers also shared their feelings about completing their military obligations, often in tears. The Hantero Music Awards are an event organized by Hantero, founded in 1993, and held since 2023 based on the reliability of its global K-pop sales metrics. At this ceremony, Stray Kids won the Best Album award, ATEEZ received the Best Artist award, ENHYPEN took home the Best Performance award, and G-Dragon was honored with the Best Song award for “Too Bad.”