23.12.21 BTS go off into the army - what now for K-pop's biggest stars?

[김상태]

BBC News

Imagine if the Beatles broke up at the height of their fame to join the army.

비틀즈가 명성의 최고점에 이르렀을때 군대에 가기 위해 해체되었다고 상상해 보라

That's what the members of BTS, the world's biggest pop band, are doing right now.

이것이 바로 세계 최고의 팝밴드인 BTS에게 일어나고 있는 일이다

On Tuesday, lead vocalist Jung Kook joined the rest of his K-pop band members and enlisted for military service - a requirement of all able-bodied South Korean men aged 18-28.

지난 화요일 리드 보칼리스트인 정국은 나머지 K팝 밴드 맴버들과 함께 18-28 세의 건강한 남성이라면 누구나 의무적으로 소집되야하는 병역의무를 이행하기 위해 입대했다.

Just four weeks ago, he was riding the high of his crossover solo career in New York.

He blew the socks off Tonight Show host Jimmy Fallon with a scintillating Michael Jackson-esque song and dance. The following night he performed a last-minute public concert that went viral across TikTok to screaming crowds from a Times Square rooftop.

그는 재치넘치는 마이클 잭슨풍의 노래와 춤으로 투나잇쇼의 진행자 짐미 팔론을 깜짝 놀라게 했다.

다음날 밤 그는 타임 스퀘어 옥상에서 환호성을 지르는 관객들 앞에서 막판의 공개 콘서트를 열었고 이 공연 소식은 틱톡을 통해 널리 퍼져나갔다. 

In the past few weeks, he's released collaborations with Justin Timberlake and Usher, his debut album Golden hit number one on several charts, and the dance solo for his hit single Standing Next to You has become a TikTok trend.

But just as he was soaring into the next stratosphere of stardom, he hit the brakes and returned to Seoul.

A few days later, the 26-year-old and three other BTS members held a pizza party livestream, where they told fans the time had come to follow three other band members into military duty.

그러나 스타덤의 최고수준으로 급상승하던 바로 그때 그는 브레이크를 밟고 서울로 돌아갔다. 며칠 후 26세의 그는 세명의 다른 BTS맴버들과 함께 실시간으로 중계되는 피자파티를 열었고 거기서 그들은 팬들에게 세명의 다른 밴드맴버들을 따라 병역의무를 위해 입대할 때가 왔다고 말했다.

The fans couldn't stop talking about the boys' hair. Gone were the fluffy perms of K-pop stardom - here instead were "eggheads", anonymised buzzcuts of soldiers on the frontline.

팬들은 이들의 머리에 대한 얘기를 멈추지 못했다. K팝 스타들의 풍성한 머리는 간데없고 그대신 전선에 있는 병사들의 알려지지 않은 달걀(빡빡 민)머리들이 있었다

What the BTS boys can expect going into military service

As South Korea is still technically at war with its hostile neighbour North Korea, most men are required to do an 18 month stint in the army.

But there had long been a debate over whether BTS, arguably South Korea's most famous cultural export, would have to serve as well.

There had been exemptions given previously to Olympic medallists and classical musicians, and in 2020, the South Korean parliament passed a bill allowing BTS to delay their compulsory military service until the age of 30.

Defenders of the band, including then government ministers, argued that Korea's biggest pop stars had already served their country by earning it billions of dollars and they should be allowed to continue in their superstar capacity.

당시 정부의 장관들과 이 밴드의 옹호자들은 한국 최대의 팝스타인 BTS 맴버들은 수10억 달러의 수입으로 이미 국가에 기여했고 따라서 그들은 슈퍼스타의 능력을 계속 허용해야 한다고 주장했다.

But then last October, their agency BigHit Music owned by HYBE, confirmed that all seven members would fulfil the obligation, starting with the eldest, Jin, who would join in December 2022.

The band would go on a hiatus - to accommodate military service and to also allow members time to pursue their own projects.

"For Western audiences, it does seem quite cruel that people at the height of their success have to stop and take a forced hiatus whether they like it or not," says K-pop academic Grace Kao, a professor at Yale University.

"서구의 관객들에게는 성공의 정점에 있는 사람들이 그들이 원하든 않든 활동을 중단하고 강제로 공백기를 가져야 한다는것은 잔인해 보일수 있다"고 K팝 학자인 그레이스 카오 예일대학 교수는 말한다

But it's a reality that many in South Korea are used to, she says. BTS follows in the footsteps of the scores of other K-pop idols and K-drama stars who've had to take time out for the military.

And with the advanced warning, their fans globally had been steeling themselves for this moment. "It was not a surprise," Prof Kao says.

그리고 사전 경고와 함께 전세계의 팬들은 이 순간을 위해 마음을 단단히 먹고 있었다. "그건 놀라운 일도 아니었다"고 카오 교수는 말했다 

Still that hasn't made the actual day of departure any less bittersweet. BTS' reach is reflected in the range of languages - from Spanish to Vietnamese - in which fans wrote emotional tributes this week.

그렇다고 해서 실제 출국당일의 아쉬움이 덜한것은 아니었다. 이번주 스페인어에서 베트남어까지 다양한 언어로 팬들이 감동의 찬사를 보내는 글을 보면 BTS의 업적을 반영하는 것이다

As the four remaining members - RM, V, Jimin and Jungkook - were shown heading off to camp on Monday and Tuesday, the comment threads proliferated with crying emojis.

월요일과 화요일에 skadkdlTsms 4명의 멤버들인 RM, V, 지민, 정국이 캠프로 떠나는 모습이 공개되자 흐느끼는 이모티콘과 함께 댓글 줄들이 넘쳐났다.

"All of them gone at once," one fan wrote on TikTok. "My heart is hurting OMG, I just can't do this anymore. I'm gonna miss them all so much."

"그들 모두가 한꺼번에 사라졌어요" 하고 한 팬은 틱톡에 썼다. "나의 마음은 상처를 받았어요, 오 하느님, 나는 더 이상 못쓰겠어요. 나는 그들이 너무나 그리울거에요"

BTS' fandom, known as ARMY - an acronym for Adorable Representative MC for Youth- have been measured to be the most engaged social media fanbase of any artist in recent years. Malaysia-based K-pop academic Jimmyn Parc told the BBC he believes many may be experiencing a short "depression".

The seven members of BTS at recruitment camp on Monday

I사진3

BTS meeting up for one last photo together on Monday - two of the boys already serving wore their uniforms

On Monday and Tuesday, a lesser known single from six years ago, Spring Day, suddenly surged to the top of the US' iTunes charts.

"ARMY is charting BTS songs in BTS's absence...I've always appreciated this show of love from the fandom," one fan wrote on the band's main Reddit sub-forum, which has over 610,000 members.

"ARMY는 BTS의 부재중에도 BTS의 노래들을 챠트에 올리고 있다." ...나는 팬덤의 이러한 사랑의 행위에 항상 감사하고 있다. " 고 한 팬은 61만명의 회원이 있는 이 밴드의 main Reddit sub-forum에 글을 올렸다

The tone struck has been reminiscent of WW2 wives sending their sweethearts off to the war. Many BTS fans say they have already pledged total loyalty.

그 말투는 마치 2차대전때 그들의 사랑하는 사람을 전쟁터로 떠나보내는 아내들의 모습을 연상하게 한다. 많은 BTS팬들은 그들은 이미 전폭적인 충성을 맹세했다고 말한다

It's this level of sheer dedication - from the biggest fanbase in the world - that will most likely sustain the band's status, industry watchers say.

"Generally speaking, no matter where you are in the world, if a musical group has a hiatus, it affects their popularity. But I'd venture to say if any group could buck that trend, it would be BTS," says Jeff Benjamin, a K-pop columnist and writer at Billboard Magazine.

Key to this is management's strategy of maintaining a steady feed of content.

이런 현상의 비결은 꾸준히 콘탠츠의 공급을 유지하는 경영진의 전략이다

"There have been songs, videos, photoshoots, fan messages and much more all prepared by the members before their enlistment. These kinds of things are super important to continue that support when most groups will need to go quiet at the time," says Mr Benjamin.

"맴버들이 입대하기 전에 준비한 노래, 비디오, 화보, 팬 메시지와 그 외에도 많은 것들이 있다. 이런 활동은 대부분의 그룹들이 조용히 지내야 할 시기에 팬들의 지원을 이어가는데 대단히 중요한것이다"고 벤자민씨는 말한다

Meanwhile for the rest of the thriving K-pop industry, BTS' absence offers opportunities for the other bands breaking through. Several have already made it onto Western mainstream charts - listeners having cottoned on to bands like New Jeans, Le SSerafim.

"BTS was too focused on by media outlets," says Associate Prof Parc. "This pause will give other K-pop groups changes to receive more of the limelight. It's a win-win situation for the industry."