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BTS Jimin made the whole Bangtan fandom—the BTS ARMY—emotionally as he mentioned his fellow bandmate SUGA aka Min Yoongi during the LIVE talk show Jimin's Production Diary "Special Talk with Jimin" held on Weverse on October 30, 2023. The Like Crazy singer and songwriter said that SUGA is one of those members who talk about the ARMY the most.
"He’s working hard, but... there’s no way it's not difficult, right? He’s working hard and thinking of you. We talk a lot about whether it's right that we're not before you. SUGA is one of the members who talks about you a lot."—Park Jimin
The Like Crazy singer and songwriter further mentioned in the Special Talk show that was held LIVE on Weverse on October 30, that he talks often with his bandmate SUGA, who is currently serving his mandatory service period in the South Korean military. This bit of information further made the Bangtan fandom emotional as the Haegeum rapper will not be returning from the military before 2025.
BTS Jimin spills more information about his and SUGA's conversation during the "Special Talk" program
The singer and songwriter behind the well-acclaimed solo album FACE further shares during the Special Talk, that SUGA often discusses whether it is appropriate for artists to not be performing in front of their fans. This stems from the fact that South Korea has a law that states that every male citizen of the Republic of Korea has to serve a mandatory period of 18 to 24 months in the military.
Regardless of the occupation, male citizens have to enlist in the military between the ages of 18 to 30 for the completion of their required duty towards their nation. This sheds light upon the news when on September 25, 2023, South Korea's disclosure that e-sports athletes can receive military exemptions by acquiring gold at the Asian Games rekindled an old controversy surrounding the K-pop sensation BTS.
Nevertheless, ARMYs have successfully maintained their composure amidst all this but ended up being swept up with overwhelming emotions the moment Jimin mentioned that SUGA talks about them a lot. A fan, @swegbov, tweeted on X, formerly Twitter, and wrote "and I cried", while other fans expressed similar emotions on the social media app.
To put things in perspective, when the national football team clinched the gold medal at the 2018 Asian Games, renowned football player Son Heung Min, a striker for Tottenham Hotspur, chose not to serve the entire military duty. However, despite its significant economic impact on the country and its widespread acceptance, BTS was not granted an exception.
Furthermore, despite the aim to ensure unimpeded prosperity for bands like BTS, Gallup research from 2022 found that 33% of South Koreans opposed the concept of K-pop singers obtaining military exemptions.
This made the situation worse because BTS members Jin, J-Hope, and Yoongi, also known as SUGA, had already enrolled in the military, and Namjoon, Jimin, Taehyung, also known as V, and Jungkook, according to HYBE, would be announcing their dates of enlistment before the end of 2023.
Furthermore, the Like Crazy singer-songwriter hinted at a possible solo concert in the future during his LIVE talk show, Special Talk with Jimin, that was held on Weverse on October 30, 2023. This news further stirred the BTS fandom and made the fans go feral.
