Find out what K-pop would be like in 2023 without the South Korean band BTS 3:55
(CNN) --
Another member of BTS, the world's biggest boy band, is putting his music career on hold to enlist in the South Korean army, but not before releasing a new solo track.
J-Hope, singer and rapper for BTS, will begin the enlistment process for mandatory military service, his record label announced Sunday, meaning he will become the second member of the K-pop sensation band to enlist in the military. army.
"We would like to inform our fans that J-Hope has initiated the military enlistment process by requesting the termination of his enlistment deferral," Big Hit Music said in the statement, adding that it asked fans for their "continued love and support for J-Hope." Hope until he completes his military service and returns safely."
BTS star Jin begins military service
Almost all able-bodied men in South Korea are required to serve in the military for 18 months at the age of 28, but in 2020, the country's Parliament passed a bill allowing pop stars to defer their service. up to 30 years.
The 29-year-old J-Hope's announcement comes a few months after singer Jin, 30, the longest-serving member of BTS, began his military service in December.
Jin's arrival at the military base was greeted with much fanfare, with media and fans gathering outside despite his previous pleas for them to stay away.
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J-Hope attends the Paris Fashion Week on January 21, 2023 in Paris, France.
(Credit: Jacopo Raule/GC Images/Getty Images)
Big Hit said that all seven members of BTS would complete their mandatory military service.
On Monday, the record company issued another statement announcing that J-Hope would release a new solo single titled "on the street" on March 3.
Fans have long worried that the band's success would be cut short by military service.
BTS became global superstars since their debut in 2013, earning No. 1 singles in over 100 countries, more than 48 million Twitter followers, and their first Grammy nomination in 2020.
BTS performs onstage during the 2019 Billboard Music Awards at the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas on May 1, 2019. (Credit: Kevin Winter/Getty Images)
They have also become an important part of the South Korean economy: a 2019 study showed that BTS was responsible for 0.3% of the country's Gross Domestic Product with $4.9 billion in revenue.
BTS announced in 2022 that it would be taking a hiatus for its members to undertake solo projects, though they are expected to come together as a group around 2025, according to Big Hit Music.
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