BTS` Suga at the Los Angeles D-Day show
BTS's Suga completed the final three encore shows of his sensational global D-Day tour. Earlier today, BigHit music, the label that manages BTS, issued a statement informing fans and audiences that the artist will be enlisting in the military soon.
South Korean laws mandate all able-bodied Korean men of ages 18 and above to serve in the army for a stipulated period of time to complete their mandatory military enlistment. Oldest member Jin and main dancer J-Hope from BTS have already enlisted in the army and are currently serving. With BigHit's statement, Suga will officially become the third member of the band to enlist.
The statement read, "We would like to inform our fans that SUGA has initiated the military enlistment process by applying for the termination of his enlistment postponement. We will inform you of further updated in due course."
According to an earlier report from Ilgan Sports, Suga had postponed his military service until the end of 2023. Like Jin, he had been approved by the Military Manpower Association to postpone his enlistment until 30 years of international age. However, owing to his shoulder injury, it was reported that Suga will likely be assigned as a public service worker and work in a government office during his military service, and not perform active duty.
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While ARMYs were silently anticipating saying goodbye to another member soon, they were not expecting (or rather, hoping) for the news to follow so soon after Suga's concert. The D-Day tour saw Suga perform a massive setlist solo for the first time onstage. While the concerts were originally scheduled to end in July, Yoongi announced three additional encore shows at the KSPO dome in Seoul - the final show of which concluded yesterday.
Over the course of three days, BTS's Jungkook, Jimin and Namjoon joined Suga to perform hit tracks like 'Burn It' and 'Tony Montana' as well as serenade ARMY with their solo tracks. Yesterday, Jin and J-Hope made a surprise appearance and cheered Yoongi on from the stands. Second-youngest member Taehyung along with the rest of the maknae line had also been a part of the audience during Suga's originally slated final show in Seoul in July.
Yesterday's performance was emotional for Suga and ARMY alike - with the artist breaking down while performing some of his more raw and vulnerable tracks like 'Amygdala' - and now we understand why! It was probably the last time Yoongi would take to stage before he enlisted, although we didn't know it yet. After the concert, Suga also candidly stated in his livestream, 'Saying see you soon will sound like a lie, so I'll be honest - let's meet again in 2025.' This was the final hint that Suga dropped before the official statement today.
While ARMY is understandably devastated over the news, we owe it to Suga, who poured out his heart and soul over the past year during his tour, to give him a proper, purple-styled military farewell. See you soon, Yoongi!
