The members of BTS announced Tuesday they are taking a break, eight years after the release of their debut album, to focus on solo projects.
“We’re going into a hiatus now,” Suga said during a pre-taped special celebrating their anniversary. (A rep for BTS later said in a statement "they are not on hiatus, but will take time to explore some solo projects at this time and remain active in various different formats.")
"We have to accept that we've changed," RM said. "We’ve lost our direction."
RM spoke about the problems with K-pop and “the whole idol system” and the pressure on artists to create content. He said there is no time for artists “time to mature.”
J-Hope said: "Change is what we need right now. It’s important for BTS to start our second chapter."
While some pop groups have resumed following hiatus announcements, many have not. *NSYNC announced a “temporary hiatus” in 2002, the members of One Direction told fans in 2016 they were going on an “indefinite hiatus" and, in 2018, Fifth Harmony announced it was going “on a hiatus … in order to pursue solo endeavours."
But, the members of BTS insisted they are not breaking up. “We’re each going to take some time to have fun and experience lots of things,” said Jungkook. “We promise we will return someday.”
South Korea’s conscription law requires most males to register to start 18 months of military service by the time they are 28 – but a 2021 amendment allows pop stars who have received government medals to apply for deferment of their military service until they are 30. The members of BTS – who received the Order of Cultural Merit by president Moon Jae-In in 2018 – currently range in age from 24 to 29. (Jin turns 30 in December and Suga will be 30 next March.)
Last December, BTS management said the group was taking an "extended period of rest" so its members had "a chance to get re-inspired and recharge with creative energy." They returned early in the new year.