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BTS returning as a whole group in 2025 not guaranteed, says HYBE chairman
Entertainment
Celebrities
BTS returning as a whole group in 2025 not guaranteed, says HYBE chairman
BTS returning as a whole group in 2025 not guaranteed, says HYBE chairman
Published Mar 16, 2023 04:13 am
Members of K-pop superstar BTS are not 100 percent guaranteed to return as a whole and complete group in 2025 due to their military service.
BTS members are enlisting in the military one by one with Jin going first last December to be followed by J-Hope. Military service is a mandatory duty for all Korean men that lasts at least 18 months.
(Clockwise from left) BTS' Jin in the military, BTS and BTS members sending off Jin to the military last December (Big Hit Music, Twitter, online community)
According to Bang Si-hyuk, HYBE chairman, BTS are not guaranteed to return as a complete group in 2025 in connection with their announcement last October. "We never set the year of their return to 2025. HYBE, as well as the boys, said that we 'hope' for them to resume activities as a 7-member group in 2025. Those were our exact words. Both our agency and BTS will try the best to achieve this goal by 2025. However, we can't guarantee anything,” said Bang Si-hyuk on March 15 during the Kwanhun Forum hosted by the Kwanhun Club at the Korea Press Center in Seoul, SBS News reported. Bang Si-hyuk added, "I would say the same thing even if they didn't have their military issue, because they also need time to fully prepare themselves for their return. But let me be clear. It is not just our desire to see all members of BTS making a comeback together in 2025; in fact, we all strive to make it happen." Last Oct. 17, Big Hit Music, the agency under HYBE that handles BTS, announced that all BTS members were preparing for their military service. “Both the company and the members of BTS are looking forward to reconvening as a group again around 2025 following their service commitment,” according to the original statement by Big Hit Music. During the Kwanhun Forum, Bang Si-hyuk was also asked if BTS would stay with HYBE after their military service. "You're referring to our contract, I believe? The renewal of contract with superstars like BTS has a big impact, society-wise. It's a matter to be discussed and dealt with cautiously," he explained. He added, "In the case of BTS though, our contract period has been disclosed to the public, and as you know, there is still time. We'll talk over our contract when it's time.” “I feel that it may be impolite to talk about it before that. It's my way of showing respect to the members of BTS and their fans. We'll inform you of the details of our contract once we have reached a mutual agreement," he said. In the same forum, the HYBE chairman was asked to explain his remarks that K-pop is facing a crisis. He said the absence of BTS as a whole group has an effect to the K-pop crisis. "The main reason why we are seeing a drop in K-pop is the absence of BTS. According to a survey, BTS is more publicly-known than K-pop itself. I'm talking about this on a global level. If we don't consider BTS when mentioning K-pop, the market becomes much smaller," he said. According to him, "But if anybody asked me if the market will go back to being big again if BTS returned tomorrow, I would say no. That's because the K-pop market has been seeing slow growth for some time already. We have to put BTS aside, and find other ways to expand the market."
(Clockwise from left) BTS' Jin in the military, BTS and BTS members sending off Jin to the military last December (Big Hit Music, Twitter, online community)
According to Bang Si-hyuk, HYBE chairman, BTS are not guaranteed to return as a complete group in 2025 in connection with their announcement last October. "We never set the year of their return to 2025. HYBE, as well as the boys, said that we 'hope' for them to resume activities as a 7-member group in 2025. Those were our exact words. Both our agency and BTS will try the best to achieve this goal by 2025. However, we can't guarantee anything,” said Bang Si-hyuk on March 15 during the Kwanhun Forum hosted by the Kwanhun Club at the Korea Press Center in Seoul, SBS News reported. Bang Si-hyuk added, "I would say the same thing even if they didn't have their military issue, because they also need time to fully prepare themselves for their return. But let me be clear. It is not just our desire to see all members of BTS making a comeback together in 2025; in fact, we all strive to make it happen." Last Oct. 17, Big Hit Music, the agency under HYBE that handles BTS, announced that all BTS members were preparing for their military service. “Both the company and the members of BTS are looking forward to reconvening as a group again around 2025 following their service commitment,” according to the original statement by Big Hit Music. During the Kwanhun Forum, Bang Si-hyuk was also asked if BTS would stay with HYBE after their military service. "You're referring to our contract, I believe? The renewal of contract with superstars like BTS has a big impact, society-wise. It's a matter to be discussed and dealt with cautiously," he explained. He added, "In the case of BTS though, our contract period has been disclosed to the public, and as you know, there is still time. We'll talk over our contract when it's time.” “I feel that it may be impolite to talk about it before that. It's my way of showing respect to the members of BTS and their fans. We'll inform you of the details of our contract once we have reached a mutual agreement," he said. In the same forum, the HYBE chairman was asked to explain his remarks that K-pop is facing a crisis. He said the absence of BTS as a whole group has an effect to the K-pop crisis. "The main reason why we are seeing a drop in K-pop is the absence of BTS. According to a survey, BTS is more publicly-known than K-pop itself. I'm talking about this on a global level. If we don't consider BTS when mentioning K-pop, the market becomes much smaller," he said. According to him, "But if anybody asked me if the market will go back to being big again if BTS returned tomorrow, I would say no. That's because the K-pop market has been seeing slow growth for some time already. We have to put BTS aside, and find other ways to expand the market."