Suga Is Gearing Up for Awaited Military Discharge as Final BTS Member in Service
It's almost time for BTS to officially flip the hourglass to begin counting down to their collective comeback. Earlier this month, Jungkook and Jimin were discharged following the completion of their mandatory military services in South Korea. They followed RM and V, who were discharged just one day prior, as well as Jin, who has been out since June 2024, and J-hope, who was discharged in October 2024. Suga is next up, the group's label Big Hit shared in a celebratory post on WeVerse.
'We are excited to bring you the news of SUGA's upcoming Social Work discharge. SUGA is close to completing his service as a Social Work Personnel and will soon be discharged,' the label wrote. 'No special events are planned on the day of SUGA's discharge. Overcrowding can pose safety risks, and we sincerely request our fans not to visit the sites in person. Please convey your warm regards and encouragement in your hearts. We are always grateful for your unwavering love and support for SUGA. Our company will continue to put our utmost effort into supporting our artists. Thank you once again for your continued love and support for BTS.'
More from Rolling Stone
HYBE's Elusive Producers Speak: Pdogg, Slow Rabbit, and More on the Future of BTS and K-Pop
BTS' Jungkook and Jimin Discharged from Korean Military After RM and V
BTS' RM and V Discharged From South Korean Military After Completing Mandatory Service
'The thoughts I had during those times have become an inseparable part of me, nurturing and shaping who I am today,' J-hope told Rolling Stone about the 'invaluable' journey they each embarked on. 'Ultimately, they have influenced the stories I tell, the music I aspire to create.'
Big Hit's statement comes on the heels of reports about the anticipated return of BTS. The Korea Herald reported that the seven-member supergroup are planning to return in March 2026. This will mark nearly four years to the date of BTS announcing their extended hiatus which made time for the band to complete their military service and pursue solo endeavors as musicians.
'BTS' comeback date is set for March next year,' a HYBE official is said to have told the Korea Herald's source. Representatives for HYBE and BTS did not immediately return Rolling Stone's requests for comment.
Pdogg, the producer who oversees all aspects of BTS' music, recently told Rolling Stone about the collaborative nature of his work with the band. 'I communicate directly with the members as their tracks and albums often center around their personal stories,' he said. 'I spend a lot of time talking to each member and communicating about what they're thinking and how they view the world.'
The forthcoming BTS comeback album will not feature frequent producer Slow Rabbit. 'I'm sure the members and the talented producers who will be a part of their next comeback will create an incredible album,' Slow Rabbit told Rolling Stone. 'I am also looking forward to BTS' comeback, but as for me, I will be focusing on my role as the main producer for TOMORROW X TOGETHER.'
The Korea Herald report noted that BTS and TXT's comebacks may overlap, but the order in which each band will return is unclear.
Best of Rolling Stone
Sly and the Family Stone: 20 Essential Songs
The 50 Greatest Eminem Songs
All 274 of Taylor Swift's Songs, Ranked
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Yahoo
30 minutes ago
- Yahoo
I didn't realize cats doing Olympic diving would be such compelling viewing – until the latest AI video craze from a new Veo 3 rival
When you buy through links on our articles, Future and its syndication partners may earn a commission. MiniMax's new Hailuo 02 AI video model has sparked a viral trend of cats performing Olympic dives The videos blend advanced physics-based animation with internet absurdity Though not the quality of Google Veo 3, Hailuo 2 is rapidly gaining in popularity among casual AI users Watching the cat walk onto the diving board, I could imagine calls to the fire department or a huge crowd rushing to save it, causing a catastrophe, while the feline simply blinked at the tragedy. Instead, the cat executed an Olympic-caliber triple somersault into the pool. If it weren't for the impossible feat and my awareness that it was an AI-generated video, I'd be checking to see if there was a Freaky Friday situation with the U.S. swim team. Instead, it's a hugely viral video produced using Chinese AI video developer MiniMax's Hailuo 02 model. The millions of people watching the video of cats diving may not be real, but it's real enough to elbow its way into the competition for AI video dominance, alongside Google Veo 3 and OpenAI's Sora, among many others. MiniMax debuted Hailuo 02 earlier this summer, but the virality of the faux Olympics video suggests it's going to become a very popular tool for making still images or text prompts into videos. The model only makes five- to ten-second clips for now, but its motion customization, camera effects, and impressive imitation of real-world physics, like the movement of fur or splashing of water, make it more intriguing. Testing Hailuo 02 on cats diving came about seemingly organically when X user R.B Keeper (presumably not their real name) tried a prompt they'd seen tested on Veo 3. The idea spread from there to a version that garnered millions of views in a matter of hours and appeared on TikTok, Reddit, and Instagram, with numerous variations. Hailuo 02 uses frame-by-frame physics simulation, attention-mapped motion prompts, and multimodal input parsing. In other words, if you type a strange idea, the model will do its best to make it look and behave like it would in an approximation of the real world. Notably, Hailuo 02 is reportedly far cheaper and faster than Veo 3, though perhaps without quite the high-end gloss. Still, it's more accessible, not being limited to enterprise services and beta programs like Veo 3. The cat diving videos are the apex of a very specific Venn diagram of internet trends, accessible tools, and low-stakes fun. You don't need to be a professional editor or own a supercomputer to try it. And more upgrades are on the horizon. MiniMax has outlined plans to integrate synchronized audio, lighting, and texture control, as well as longer clips. As for Google Veo 3 and other major players, they have their professional niche for now. But if they want to widen their appeal to the masses, they might look to what MiniMax and smaller developers like Midjourney, with its V1 video model, are doing. Hailuo 02 is the kind of tool that will get people, like the cats, to dive in. Midjourney just dropped its first AI video model and Sora and Veo 3 should be worried I watched some of the viral ASMR videos made with AI and I feel more confused than soothed Google can now generate your AI videos more quickly than ever
Yahoo
2 hours ago
- Yahoo
A celebrity draft-dodging scandal lays bare problems with Taiwan's crucial reservist force
A draft-dodging scandal in Taiwan allegedly involving a number of actors, influencers, and musicians has cast an unflattering spotlight on the conscript and reservist forces which could one day stand between the island and a possible invasion by China. Taiwan's military service regime, which runs alongside its conventional military, faces accusations of failing to prepare conscripts for an actual war – an alarming situation against a drumbeat of threats from its giant neighbor. On Monday, authorities indicted 28 defendants. Prosecutors allege that, between 2016 and early this year, a four-person ring helped 24 healthy men dodge the draft by faking high blood pressure to gain a medical exemption, netting a total of 7.63 million Taiwanese dollars ($255,000). At least 11 celebrities are now under investigation. Among those indicted was the actor Darren Wang. The 34-year-old, launched to fame across the Chinese-speaking world a decade ago as a boyish heartthrob in teen romcom Our Times, was accused of paying 3.6 million Taiwanese dollars ($120,000) for a fake hypertension diagnosis. He has since begun military service, which is mandatory for men aged 19 to 36. CNN has reached out to Wang's representatives for comment, but did not receive a response. Such organized efforts to evade conscription are largely seen as a sign of people's apathy towards service, rather than their fear of military rough-and-tumble. 'What puts off the conscripts is not exhaustion from training, but the sense of waste of time,' Chieh Chung, an associate research fellow at Taiwan's Institute for National Defense and Security Research (NDSR), told CNN. 'Most of the time during the service is dedicated to miscellaneous tasks, and not actually combat-related.' Back in 1949, as the Nationalist government lost a bloody civil war against the insurgent Chinese Communist Party and fled to Taiwan, it introduced mandatory military service to the island, where eligible men would serve two years in the army or three years in the navy, air force or marines. The system, in one form or another, has been in place ever since – as have Beijing's designs on the island, which the Communist Party claims as its own territory, to be taken by force if necessary. But military service has long been seen as anything but heroic. Conscripts have described it as monotonous, disorganized and often irrelevant to modern warfare: a combination of indoor lectures, hours of waiting around, and outdated ceremonial drills. 'Not only are you not going to learn anything effective, you're going to fire a couple of bullets, sit through lectures, mow lawns, stand guard duty – all the things associated with a spit-and-polish military,' Mike Hunzeker, a former US Marine officer who has trained Taiwanese units, told CNN. US officials, not authorized to speak openly, quietly warn that Taiwan's reserve forces remain the soft underbelly of its defense posture. One official said millions of former conscripts exist 'on paper,' but years of truncated service and minimal refresher training have left them 'underprepared for modern warfare.' Past CNN interviews with former conscripts paint a bleak picture: decades-old rifles shared between units, cannon and mortar training with little or no live ammunition, and conscripts left idle or tasked with meaningless chores. While there are no official estimates for the number of illegal draft-dodgers, a tally by the Ministry of the Interior shows that, from 2021 to 2023, cases of suspected obstruction of military service have risen from 309 to 553. 'It is imperative to reform military service as quickly as possible,' said Wu Tzu-li, an associate research fellow at the INDSR. 'After all, the fight ultimately comes down to the people operating the weapons and not the weaponry itself, so having solid education and training is crucial.' Even Taiwan's leaders have acknowledged the problem. Shortly after taking office in 2016, former President Tsai Ing-wen called for sweeping reform, as opposed to 'papering over problems, wasting human resources, and operating inefficiently in so many different ways.' In response to growing security threats from Beijing, which conducted at least three large-scale military exercises around Taiwan last year, and sent warplanes, naval vessels and coast guards close to the island on a near-daily basis – Taiwan's government has extended training time for conscripts and introduced reforms such as more live-fire drills and an emphasis on modern tactics. As of January 2024, the minimum active-duty period was increased to one full year, up from just four months under the previous policy. These changes seem to be gradually bearing fruit. Alex Chang, a recent conscript in his mid-20s who spoke to CNN, observed that training has intensified since the extension of mandatory military service. 'The sounds of bullets firing and grenades exploding have been going non-stop on the training ground,' he said. The changes' effectiveness remains to be seen. Critics say that unless Taiwan revamps how – and what – soldiers are taught, young men will continue to view the draft as symbolic rather than strategic. 'The key is what kinds of training will be provided to the new conscripts,' said Chieh. 'It's important to not let them feel they've wasted one year.' Another US official added that 'Taiwan is making good progress in enhancing the realism of training for reservists, but still has work to do in updating their equipment and reforming the organization of reserve units.' 'Retraining and equipping existing reservists to operate asymmetric platforms like drones and anti-air missiles will have an outsized impact on Taiwan's ability to deter conflict.' In a statement to CNN, the Defense Ministry said: 'Military service is a civic duty prescribed in the constitution. Any attempt to evade conscription by any means should be condemned and subject to legal actions.' It added that the new, extended one-year training period 'enables conscripts to undergo systematic and comprehensive military training, including enlistment, stationing, specialization, base training, and joint exercises – equipping them with essential combat skills and a firm resolve to defend the nation.' In nearby South Korea – another place marked by long-running hostility with its nearest neighbor – military service is taken a lot more seriously, and counting down the days until major celebrities will park their careers to don military fatigues has become something of a national pastime. Rather than damaging reputations, military service is often seen as a sign of integrity and patriotism in major stars – an impression that can enhance their careers after taking off the uniform. Earlier this month, K-pop superstars RM and V, from the band BTS, became the latest high-profile conscripts discharged from national service. They each saluted upon their release from duty in Chuncheon city, after about 18 months of active service, to the cheers of about 200 gathered fans – some of whom traveled from Mexico, Turkey and Brazil. The other five members of the massively popular group either have completed or will complete the mandatory service, and the band expects to reunite within the next 12 months. Even soccer superstar Son Heung-min, who avoided conscription through an exemption after winning gold at the 2018 Asian Games with South Korea's national team, has taken four weeks of basic military training. For Taiwan to restore faith in conscription, military analysts say, it will need to reduce loopholes, improve instruction, and modernize training to reflect real threats – particularly as tensions with Beijing intensify. It will also, they say, need a cultural shift: one that values service not as empty symbolism, but as preparation for a possible fight. But it depends whether the recent reforms take root. 'The fear,' said one former conscript, 'is that the new system will look just like the old one – only longer.' CNN's Gawon Bae contributed reporting
CNN
3 hours ago
- CNN
A celebrity draft-dodging scandal lays bare problems with Taiwan's crucial reservist force
A draft-dodging scandal in Taiwan allegedly involving a number of actors, influencers, and musicians has cast an unflattering spotlight on the conscript and reservist forces which could one day stand between the island and a possible invasion by China. Taiwan's military service regime, which runs alongside its conventional military, faces accusations of failing to prepare conscripts for an actual war – an alarming situation against a drumbeat of threats from its giant neighbor. On Monday, authorities indicted 28 defendants. Prosecutors allege that, between 2016 and early this year, a four-person ring helped 24 healthy men dodge the draft by faking high blood pressure to gain a medical exemption, netting a total of 7.63 million Taiwanese dollars ($255,000). At least 11 celebrities are now under investigation. Among those indicted was the actor Darren Wang. The 34-year-old, launched to fame across the Chinese-speaking world a decade ago as a boyish heartthrob in teen romcom Our Times, was accused of paying 3.6 million Taiwanese dollars ($120,000) for a fake hypertension diagnosis. He has since begun military service, which is mandatory for men aged 19 to 36. CNN has reached out to Wang's representatives for comment, but did not receive a response. Such organized efforts to evade conscription are largely seen as a sign of people's apathy towards service, rather than their fear of military rough-and-tumble. 'What puts off the conscripts is not exhaustion from training, but the sense of waste of time,' Chieh Chung, an associate research fellow at Taiwan's Institute for National Defense and Security Research (NDSR), told CNN. 'Most of the time during the service is dedicated to miscellaneous tasks, and not actually combat-related.' Back in 1949, as the Nationalist government lost a bloody civil war against the insurgent Chinese Communist Party and fled to Taiwan, it introduced mandatory military service to the island, where eligible men would serve two years in the army or three years in the navy, air force or marines. The system, in one form or another, has been in place ever since – as have Beijing's designs on the island, which the Communist Party claims as its own territory, to be taken by force if necessary. But military service has long been seen as anything but heroic. Conscripts have described it as monotonous, disorganized and often irrelevant to modern warfare: a combination of indoor lectures, hours of waiting around, and outdated ceremonial drills. 'Not only are you not going to learn anything effective, you're going to fire a couple of bullets, sit through lectures, mow lawns, stand guard duty – all the things associated with a spit-and-polish military,' Mike Hunzeker, a former US Marine officer who has trained Taiwanese units, told CNN. US officials, not authorized to speak openly, quietly warn that Taiwan's reserve forces remain the soft underbelly of its defense posture. One official said millions of former conscripts exist 'on paper,' but years of truncated service and minimal refresher training have left them 'underprepared for modern warfare.' Past CNN interviews with former conscripts paint a bleak picture: decades-old rifles shared between units, cannon and mortar training with little or no live ammunition, and conscripts left idle or tasked with meaningless chores. While there are no official estimates for the number of illegal draft-dodgers, a tally by the Ministry of the Interior shows that, from 2021 to 2023, cases of suspected obstruction of military service have risen from 309 to 553. 'It is imperative to reform military service as quickly as possible,' said Wu Tzu-li, an associate research fellow at the INDSR. 'After all, the fight ultimately comes down to the people operating the weapons and not the weaponry itself, so having solid education and training is crucial.' Even Taiwan's leaders have acknowledged the problem. Shortly after taking office in 2016, former President Tsai Ing-wen called for sweeping reform, as opposed to 'papering over problems, wasting human resources, and operating inefficiently in so many different ways.' In response to growing security threats from Beijing, which conducted at least three large-scale military exercises around Taiwan last year, and sent warplanes, naval vessels and coast guards close to the island on a near-daily basis – Taiwan's government has extended training time for conscripts and introduced reforms such as more live-fire drills and an emphasis on modern tactics. As of January 2024, the minimum active-duty period was increased to one full year, up from just four months under the previous policy. These changes seem to be gradually bearing fruit. Alex Chang, a recent conscript in his mid-20s who spoke to CNN, observed that training has intensified since the extension of mandatory military service. 'The sounds of bullets firing and grenades exploding have been going non-stop on the training ground,' he said. The changes' effectiveness remains to be seen. Critics say that unless Taiwan revamps how – and what – soldiers are taught, young men will continue to view the draft as symbolic rather than strategic. 'The key is what kinds of training will be provided to the new conscripts,' said Chieh. 'It's important to not let them feel they've wasted one year.' Another US official added that 'Taiwan is making good progress in enhancing the realism of training for reservists, but still has work to do in updating their equipment and reforming the organization of reserve units.' 'Retraining and equipping existing reservists to operate asymmetric platforms like drones and anti-air missiles will have an outsized impact on Taiwan's ability to deter conflict.' In a statement to CNN, the Defense Ministry said: 'Military service is a civic duty prescribed in the constitution. Any attempt to evade conscription by any means should be condemned and subject to legal actions.' It added that the new, extended one-year training period 'enables conscripts to undergo systematic and comprehensive military training, including enlistment, stationing, specialization, base training, and joint exercises – equipping them with essential combat skills and a firm resolve to defend the nation.' In nearby South Korea – another place marked by long-running hostility with its nearest neighbor – military service is taken a lot more seriously, and counting down the days until major celebrities will park their careers to don military fatigues has become something of a national pastime. Rather than damaging reputations, military service is often seen as a sign of integrity and patriotism in major stars – an impression that can enhance their careers after taking off the uniform. Earlier this month, K-pop superstars RM and V, from the band BTS, became the latest high-profile conscripts discharged from national service. They each saluted upon their release from duty in Chuncheon city, after about 18 months of active service, to the cheers of about 200 gathered fans – some of whom traveled from Mexico, Turkey and Brazil. The other five members of the massively popular group either have completed or will complete the mandatory service, and the band expects to reunite within the next 12 months. Even soccer superstar Son Heung-min, who avoided conscription through an exemption after winning gold at the 2018 Asian Games with South Korea's national team, has taken four weeks of basic military training. For Taiwan to restore faith in conscription, military analysts say, it will need to reduce loopholes, improve instruction, and modernize training to reflect real threats – particularly as tensions with Beijing intensify. It will also, they say, need a cultural shift: one that values service not as empty symbolism, but as preparation for a possible fight. But it depends whether the recent reforms take root. 'The fear,' said one former conscript, 'is that the new system will look just like the old one – only longer.' CNN's Gawon Bae contributed reporting
