Latest news with #JHope
South China Morning Post
12 minutes ago
- Entertainment
- South China Morning Post
All about K-pop superstars BTS as last member finishes up mandatory military service
It is official – almost. Soon, all seven members of the massively popular K-pop group BTS will have completed South Korea's mandatory military service. Rapper Suga will be the last of the bandmates to be released, on Saturday, after fulfilling his duty as a social service agent, an alternative to serving in the military that he reportedly chose because of a shoulder injury. BTS' entertainment agency said no events are planned for Suga's release out of concern for overcrowding. The six others – RM, V, Jimin, Jungkook, Jin and J-Hope – served in the army. Four of them – RM, V, Jimin and Jungkook – were discharged earlier this month. Jin, the eldest BTS member, was discharged in June 2024, as was J-Hope in October. Play BTS are expected to reunite later this year. Ahead of that highly anticipated homecoming, here is what you need to know about the group.
CNA
12 hours ago
- Entertainment
- CNA
All 7 BTS members back as Suga is discharged from an alternative form of military service
Suga, a rapper and songwriter in the global K-pop sensation BTS, has been discharged from South Korea's mandatory military service, marking the official return of all seven members from their enlistment duties. The label confirmed that Suga completed his alternative service duties on Wednesday (Jun 18) after using up his remaining leave. His official discharge date is Saturday. BTS' management agency, Big Hit Entertainment, had said earlier that no events were planned for Suga's release out of concern for overcrowding. It is a momentous occasion for fans of the K-pop group BTS. The seven singers of the popular K-pop band plan to reunite as a group sometime in 2025 now that they've finished their service. Last week, BTS superstars RM and V were discharged from South Korea's military after fulfilling their mandatory service. Jimin and Jungkook were discharged a day later. All four were enlisted in December 2023. Six of the group's seven members served in the army, while Suga fulfilled his duty as a social service agent, an alternative form of military service. Jin, the oldest BTS member, was discharged in June 2024. J-Hope was discharged in October. In South Korea, all able-bodied men aged 18 to 28 are required by law to perform 18-21 months of military service under a conscription system meant to deter aggression from rival North Korea. The law gives special exemptions to athletes, classical and traditional musicians, and ballet and other dancers if they have obtained top prizes in certain competitions and are assessed to have enhanced national prestige. K-pop stars and other entertainers aren't subject to such privileges. However, in 2020, BTS postponed their service until age 30 after South Korea's National Assembly revised its Military Service Act, allowing K-pop stars to delay their enlistment until age 30. There was heated public debate in 2022 over whether to offer special exemptions of mandatory military service for BTS members, until the group's management agency announced in October 2023 that all seven members would fulfill their duties.
Forbes
3 days ago
- Entertainment
- Forbes
J-Hope Dominates iTunes With What May Be Another Future Smash
2025 has been another busy year for J-Hope. The BTS star has spent the past several months doling out multiple solo singles, and he recently returned with yet another cut, "Killin' It Girl," alongside rapper GloRilla. The two are hoping to turn the tune into a major hit on the Billboard charts after its first full tracking frame concludes, and a quick look at the iTunes ranking in the United States suggests that the musicians may succeed. The South Korean singer and rapper has employed a familiar sales tactic — one that fans have enthusiastically supported. On Tuesday (June 17), J-Hope released an album full of remixes of "Killin' It Girl." The project includes 10 tracks, all of which are slightly altered versions of the single. For charting purposes, Billboard groups all versions of a title — including reworkings and those with additional featured artists — into one entity. That means sales and streams of all 10 tunes will count toward "Killin' It Girl" and help it when it comes to debuting on the weekly rankings. Fans of J-Hope have been quick to support the release in all its forms. All 10 iterations of the track appear on the iTunes Top Songs chart as of the time of writing. The original version sits inside the top 10, and it is currently sitting at No. 8. Several of the remixes — including those named with descriptors like Band, Electro Pop, West Coast, Soul, Boom Bap, and even the instrumental — are also present inside the top 40 on the tally. It's common these days for BTS members to drop a track and then share multiple new versions several days later when releasing solo material. This strategy has worked well for many of the seven singers in the past, and it often leads to impressive sales sums that propel tracks like "Killin' It Girl" to rankings such as the Digital Song Sales chart and the Hot 100, which is certainly the goal for J-Hope and GloRilla. "Killin' It Girl" marks J-Hope's fourth solo release of 2025. Throughout the spring, he dropped three tracks: "LV Bag" with Don Toliver, Speedy, and Pharrell Williams, as well as his own "Sweet Dreams" with Miguel and "Mona Lisa." So far, he hasn't announced a proper EP or album collecting all these cuts, but such a project could be in the works.
South China Morning Post
4 days ago
- Entertainment
- South China Morning Post
BTS' Jungkook apologises for wearing ‘Make Tokyo Great Again' hat after fan backlash
Jungkook, a member of the K-pop supergroup BTS , has issued a public apology after coming under fire from fans for wearing a cap with the slogan 'Make Tokyo Great Again', a phrase criticised for invoking painful memories of Japan 's colonial rule over Korea. The 27-year-old K-pop star, who recently completed his compulsory military service in South Korea , was wearing the hat on Friday when he made a surprise appearance at rehearsals for the final performance of fellow BTS member J-Hope's world tour in Goyang, according to the KoreaWave news website. To many fans, the slogan – a play on former US President Donald Trump's 'Make America Great Again' campaign message, which has long been linked to nationalist sentiment – evoked bitter memories of Japan's colonial rule over Korea from 1910 to 1945. 'I think this is JK expressing what he actually feels to Korea and Koreans without saying anything,' an irate user posted on the allkpop website. 'I wouldn't be surprised if he renounces his Korean citizenship and decides to domicile elsewhere, and South Korea will lose his tax revenue forever.' Another added, 'Straight from coming out of the military and wearing an anti-Korean, right-wing hat is an interesting choice, to say the least.' BTS members Jungkook and Jimin salute at a sporting facility in Yeoncheon on June 11, shortly after completing their 18-month mandatory military service. Photo: AFP Yet another post read, 'He bought that stuff not knowing what it was? Wasn't he in the military? How does he have such a lack of basic political and historical issues that concern his country? It's the history of Japanese imperialist right-wing oppression.'
Asharq Al-Awsat
13-06-2025
- Entertainment
- Asharq Al-Awsat
International K-Pop Fans Thrill to Prospect of BTS Reunion
Thousands of international fans of K-pop megastars BTS gathered on Friday in the suburbs of Seoul amid mounting excitement over an expected reunion of the group after its members complete mandatory service in the South Korean military. This year's BTS Festa marks the 12th anniversary of the group, which last performed together in 2022 and has not toured since 2019 because of the global pandemic and subsequent military service obligations of its members. It was unclear if any of the recently discharged performers would appear at the festival organized by the group's management agency, HYBE. But that did not dampen the enthusiasm of fans, some of whom flew in from around the world hoping to spot some of the superstars at the gathering or at a pair of solo concerts by BTS rapper J-Hope as he wraps up his "Hope on the Stage" world tour. "I want to enjoy everything because there are many things to do here and ... I hope to see the guys maybe," said Karla Linan Saucede, 33, who travelled from Mexico with her sister and friends. "It's gone past excitement and into almost being numb," said Ayla O'Ryan, 45, from Scotland, adding that she planned a visit this month to practice Korean in the capital so that she could attend. BTS' members Jimin and Jungkook discharged from the South Korean military on Wednesday, become the fifth and sixth to complete their service. Members RM and V were discharged on Tuesday and the last to finish will be Suga on June 21. While details of a reunion have not been released, the group is expected to hold its largest ever world tour in 2026, says NH Securities, one of South Korea's largest investment firms. Shares in HYBE jumped 11.3% in June as brokerages raised their sales estimates and target price for the agency ahead of the group's comeback.
