Five things to know about the K-pop juggernaut
All the members of South Korea's most lucrative boyband BTS are set to finish their military service this month, paving the way for the K-pop super-group to release new music.
The news has prompted a fan frenzy, with speculation rife about forthcoming releases and even tours.
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- Who are they? -
The seven-member K-pop group known as BTS -- short for Bangtan Boys, which means "Bulletproof Boy Scouts" in Korean -- are the world's most followed music group on Instagram.
Debuting in 2013, the septet -- RM, Jin, V, J-Hope, Jungkook, Jimin, and SUGA -- gained moderate recognition in South Korea, but experts say it wasn't until their 2017 performance at the American Music Awards that they shot to global fame.
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Over the next five years, they became the most-streamed group on Spotify, the first K-pop act to top both the Billboard 200 and the Billboard Artist 100 charts, and the most-awarded group in history.
They have also become widely regarded as youth icons and have delivered speeches at the United Nations and met then-US president Joe Biden at the White House to address anti-Asian hate crimes.
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- What happened? -
In 2022, the group said they would be going on a "hiatus" after nine years, citing exhaustion from the brutal K-pop system.
"The K-pop and idol system doesn't allow a person to mature," said leader RM during a live stream.
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The announcement sparked debate over the K-pop industry's structure and its neglect of artists' mental health.
But even at the time, analysts said the break seemed to owe more to the need for them to undertake their mandatory military service -- from which, despite their massive economic contributions to South Korea, the group were not exempt.
Six months later, Jin, the oldest of the group, enlisted, with the others following suit.
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South Korea offers service exemptions to some athletes -- including Olympic medalists -- and also some classical musicians, but no K-pop star has yet received one.
- What's their plan? -
With all the members to be discharged by the end of June, many fans are hoping for a reunion, and RM and V said Tuesday after their release that they hoped to quickly get back to performing.
Their agency, HYBE, has hinted at a comeback -- possibly in 2026 -- but also said members "need time for reflection and preparation".
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The group will likely take a "'visual recovery' period of around three months", Yoo Sung-man, an analyst at Leading Investment and Securities, told AFP.
This would give them time to grow out their military buzz cuts before they are "expected to make a full-group comeback near the end of the year".
- Is this good for K-pop? -
It's very good for their agency HYBE -- which has seen its shares soar -- and the industry as whole, experts say.
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Lee Ki-hoon, a researcher at Hana Securities, said a full-member world tour is expected to attract "more than three million attendees annually and generate around 700 billion won (some $500 million) in tour revenue by 2026".
Official figures estimate the group accounted for some 0.2 percent of South Korea's total GDP at their pre-military peak -- and their return bodes well for the industry as a whole.
"The comebacks of leading K-pop artists like BTS and BLACKPINK, expands attendance for global tours," said Lee Hwan-wook of Yuanta Securities Korea.
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- What about the fans? -
Fans are elated to see BTS members back, with a chance to catch a glimpse of them over the next few days.
The members' discharge comes days ahead of the annual BTS FESTA, set to take place Friday, marking the group's 12th anniversary.
It is expected to draw tens of thousands of fans from around the world.
"I planned my trip two years before around the FESTA, because I knew the members will be out by then," Hannah Chung, a 28-year-old who lives in London, told AFP.
"I hope we're able to see them, at least just once at the concert like 2024."
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Main image courtesy of AFP