On August 1, 2024, BTS leader Kim Namjoon aka RM, announced via his Instagram story that he was promoted to Corporal. The rapper-songwriter enlisted in the South Korean military on December 11, 2023, and underwent five weeks of military training.
On January 16, 2024, he graduated at the top of his class as one of the four Elite Soldiers out of 200 recruits alongside his bandmate, Kim Taehyung. On January 18, he was deployed to the 15th Infantry Division of the Republic of Korea Army to serve the rest of his mandatory service.
Following this, on March 1, 2024, he received an early promotion to Private First Class and was promoted to corporal on August 1. Fans were happy to see one of their favorite BTS members get promoted to a higher rank. They flooded social media with congratulatory tweets. One fan wrote on X,
"Namjoon got promoted as CORPORAL!! So proud of him. CONGRATULATIONS CORPORAL RM"
Others shared similar enthusiasm and praised the rapper-songwriter for excelling in "everything."
"So proud of you, Joonie. You work so hard and excel in everything you do!! CONGRATULATIONS CORPORAL KIM," one fan wrote on X.
"And its an early promotion too as previously according to Goondori timeline, he was suppose to be a Corporal on 1st September," another fan commented.
"That's the cutest image to show a military ranking......anyway, congrats dearest Joonie," one other fan wrote.
However, despite being equally happy, some BTS ARMY expressed their wish to see the BTS idol get discharged soon. Considering they believe RM must be having a hard time in the military because of its strict regime, they expressed their concerns.
"Can't wait for namjoon to be promoted as civilian," another fan added.
"The military industrial complex trying to cutify achievements will never not be weird," one fan wrote.
"CONGRATULATIONS JOONIE BEAR!!!! They can give him back now. please and thank you," another fan added.
More about BTS Namjoon's activities
The BTS frontman released his debut solo full-length album, Indigo, on December 2, 2022. The album heralded a new beginning for the South Korean Grammy-nominated musician's solo journey. For his first album, he collaborated with various musicians for his solo album, such as Erykah Badu, Anderson. Paak, Tablo of EPIK HIGH, and more.
He was also featured on a track, SEXY NUKIM, by the South Korean Indie band, Balming Tiger. After that, he created his second solo album, Right Place, Wrong Person, which has 10 tracks and released it on May 24, 2024. The album received five stars from music critics such as NME, ELLE, and more.
Right Place, Wrong Person entered both the iTunes Worldwide Song Chart and iTunes European Song Chart at No. 1 with its title track, LOST! Namjoon was the first K-pop soloist to achieve this feat in 2024.
Kim Namjoon of BTS will return to the entertainment industry in June 2025 after fulfilling his mandatory military service as per the nation's law. BTS' j-hope will return in October 2024, whereas Taehyung, Suga, Jimin, and Jungkook will be discharged from the military in June 2025.