BTS has hit pause on their group activities for at least two years, as the members fulfill mandatory military service
On November 22, Big Hit Entertainment, the management company of BTS, revealed that RM, Jimin, V, and Jungkook are preparing to enlist soon. Jungkook’s specific enlistment date is in December, while the remaining three members have not made announcements.
The formidable position of BLACKPINK
BTS’ enlistment could go down as early as the end of this year or early next year. 2025 is when we can expect BTS to make a grand comeback as a complete group after completing their military service.
Before BTS’ hiatus, they and BLACKPINK were the biggest duo of K-pop, ruling over the male and female group scenes. 4th gen girl groups like IVE, aespa, NewJeans, and LE SSERAFIM have popped up, but none have reached BLACKPINK’s level of international fame.
These rising stars haven’t pulled a BLACKPINK by hitting the Billboard Hot 100 multiple times or making waves in brand ambassadorship and events.
BLACKPINK was recently awarded a royal commendation from King Charles III for their contributions during President Yoon Suk Yeol’s state visit to the UK. Buckingham Palace hosted a ceremony, where BLACKPINK was honored with the Most Excellent Order of the British Empire (MBE) for spreading the word on global environmental sustainability.
Just a week ago, BLACKPINK bagged a major win at the 2023 Billboard Music Awards, Top K-pop Touring Artist, surpassing Suga from BTS and TWICE.
So, with BTS taking a break for two years, as long as BLACKPINK maintains their group activities, they’re set to be the undisputed ruler of K-pop.
Formidable contenders on the rise
SEVENTEEN and Stray Kids are the frontrunners to fill BTS’s big shoes. SEVENTEEN is killing it on the domestic charts and album sales, while Stray Kids is making waves with the global audiences.
SEVENTEEN sold 11 million album copies from January to September, with their April mini-album “FML” recording over 6.27 million copies. Their latest release, “SEVENTEENth Heaven,” snagged a record-breaking pre-order volume of 5.2 million copies.
Stray Kids landed on Billboard Hot 100 at number 90 with “LALALALA,” the second K-pop boy group to make the cut after BTS. Stray Kids have a massive fanbase in Europe and the Americas.
Stray Kids’ latest album, “Rock-Star,” not only hit number one on Billboard Hot 200 but also propelled them into the exclusive club of K-pop groups (alongside BTS) with over four albums achieving this feat.
The Korea JoongAng Daily revealed that Stray Kids is owning the year-end Billboard charts, sharing the limelight with Fifty Fifty, Jungkook, NewJeans, TXT, TWICE, and ITZY.
Fifty Fifty earned the 44th spot on the year-end Hot 100 Songs chart of Billboard with “Cupid,” making them the first K-pop girl group to achieve this. Jungkook of BTS is at 82nd place on the same chart with “Seven.”
On the year-end Billboard 200 album chart, Stray Kids’ third full album, “5-Star,” holds the 82nd spot, making them the top-ranking K-pop act on the chart.
Tomorrow X Together (TXT) is at the 122nd spot with their fifth EP, “The Name Chapter: Temptation.” This marks the third year in a row that they’ve made it onto the year-end chart.
TXT, NCT, and ENHYPEN are also in the running as boy groups with a huge international fan base in K-pop.
But most 4th gen boy groups haven’t topped the charts in Korea, despite scoring big on international iTunes charts.
In the old days, it was the norm for Korean idols to conquer Asia first and then set their sights on countries like Japan, Europe, and the Americas. But lately, they’ve been getting noticed globally first, without necessarily being chart-toppers in Korea.
For girl groups like NewJeans, IVE, and aespa – they’re still working on their international music chart domination.
To sum it up, no one’s breaking records both in Korea and internationally like BTS or BLACKPINK. So, it’s safe to say there’s still a long road ahead for these groups to match the success of their seniors. In this scenario, it might be tough for any K-pop group to outshine BLACKPINK and take the throne while BTS goes on a hiatus.
Source: K14
