BTS' Suga Discharged from Military Service

K-pop group BTS member Suga was discharged from the South Korean military on Saturday, the seventh and final member to complete the country's mandatory national service amid expectations of the band's long-awaited comeback.

He completed his military tenure as a social service agent on Saturday with little fanfare as fans looked forward to his reunion with the rest of the band, a K-pop sensation since it started up in 2013.

"We confirm that Suga effectively completed his alternative service on June 18 by using his remaining leave. His official discharge date is June 21," BTS' label, Big Hit Music, said in a statement.

Unlike with his bandmates, there was no public event planned to mark Suga's release due to overcrowding concerns.

The seven-member group put their global music career on hold in 2022 to begin their service at the height of their global fame, starting with Jin in December that year, each serving duties of varying lengths as long as 18 months.

South Korea requires all able-bodied men aged 18 to 28 to serve in the military where the mandatory service can be for terms of up to 18 months.

Shortly after his official discharge, Suga posted a message on fan community platform Weverse, saying he was "sorry for the disappointment and concern caused by what happened last year", and also extended his apology to his bandmates.

Last year, Suga was fined 15 million won ($11,500) by a court for drunk driving while on an electric scooter.

The band is expected to hold its largest-ever world tour in 2026, an NH Securities entertainment analyst said in a report. Details of a reunion have not been released.

BTS, also known as the Bangtan Boys or "Bulletproof Boy Scouts" in Korean, began forming in 2010 after Big Hit Entertainment founder Bang Si-hyuk recruited RM, followed by Jin, Suga, J-Hope, Jimin, V, and Jungkook.

However, the band officially debuted in 2013, but it wasn't until 2017 when a highly successful US tour propelled their blend of pop, hip-hop and R&B - mostly in Korean - onto the global stage. Since then, the septet has become the most-streamed group on Spotify, the first K-pop act to top the US iTunes chart and several Billboard charts, and one of the most awarded groups in history.

BTS has actively advocated for youth issues, including through a mental health initiative with UNICEF. It has also addressed the United Nations General Assembly and met with former US President Joe Biden to discuss the rise in anti-Asian hate crimes.

In recent years, each of the seven members has also made a mark individually, with all scoring solo entries on the Hot 100.

The band had previously won a deferral, when in 2020, the nation's parliament passed a bill allowing them to delay their duties until the age of 30. In 2022, the oldest member of the group, Jin, enlisted, and the others followed suit.