BTS’ SUGA to enlist in military as public service worker in 2023 after Jin; BIGHIT Music responds

He will be reportedly assigned to serve as a public service worker. The enlistment date is yet to be announced.

December 13, 2022 - 5:35 PM IST

South Korean pop titans BTS’ members will officially enlist in the military to fulfill their mandatory duties in South Korea. The news was announced back in October 2022. On December 13, Jin officially became the first member to enlist in the military of South Korea. He was accompanied by his family and BTS members RM, SUGA, j-hope, Jimin, V, and Jungkook. Now, it is being reported that BTS’ SUGA will be the next one to enlist in the military.

BTS’ SUGA to enlist in military as public service worker in 2023 after Jin; BIGHIT Music responds

While the details of his enlistment date are yet to be announced, it seems like he will be the first among the remaining members to enlist in 2023. He will be reportedly assigned to serve as a public service worker. In response to the reports in Korean media, as per media portal Soompi, a representative of BIGHIT MUSIC said in a statement, “BTS members plan to serve in the military sequentially according to their own plans. It is difficult to confirm the artist’s personal information.”

It seems like SUGA has been assigned public service due to his shoulder surgery in 2020. Back then, the official statement read, “Suga underwent surgery to repair his torn shoulder labrum on November 3. The surgery, to address a problem that had constantly been a health and wellness issue for SUGA, was completed successfully and he is currently resting and recovering following his physician's advice that SUGA must undergo a strict and unhindered period of recovery. As many fans know, Suga has long suffered from shoulder-related health issues. Suga’s shoulder issues began when he was injured in an accident that occured in 2012 before his debut, and he was diagnosed with a dislocated shoulder in 2013. Shoulder pains continued until he was further diagnosed in 2019 with “posterior labral tear of his left shoulder”, which means that the cartilage around his left shoulder joint has been torn. Since then, he has continued to receive various treatment to prevent his injury from affecting his activities.”

It continued, “Suga has long suffered from a wide range of symptoms including the inability to raise his arms high and sudden bouts of pain. He underwent constant rehabilitation and treatment during his career, but unfortunately, his symptoms did not improve measurably. These symptoms have appeared with increasing frequency in recent years, affecting Suga not only on the stage but in the course of his daily life as well. Suga also felt that it was important for him to restore himself to good health to prepare for his mandatory military service as well as his post-service musical career. After extensive discussion with the company, the decision was made to undergo the surgical procedure.”

Since the hiatus of BTS’ group activities, the members are actively releasing solo work. Two members – j-hope and RM have released solo albums, Jack In The Box and Indigo, respectively. Jin released his solo single ‘The Astronaut’ with Coldplay in October 2022. Meanwhile, SUGA is anticipated to release his solo album too following his last solo mixtape ‘D-2’ in 2020. He produced and co-featured in PSY's comeback album's title track 'That That'.