On December 12, BTS completed their m̴i̴l̴i̴t̴a̴r̴y̴ enlistment with the departure of the last 4 members of the group. This also marks a long period of at least 6 months of inactivity for the group until Jin returns next June.

Obviously, everyone regrets that Kpop superstars like BTS have to temporarily suspend their activities in their heyday. There are also huge impacts and voids that BTS' m̴i̴l̴i̴t̴a̴r̴y̴ enlistment leaves behind. But perhaps the people most affected by the group's m̴i̴l̴i̴t̴a̴r̴y̴ enlistment are the fans - the ARMY fandom.

Recently, BBC reported on how BTS' enlistment was a huge emotional loss for fans, even comparing it to the case of The Beatles:

We all know that BTS's m̴i̴l̴i̴t̴a̴r̴y̴ enlistment story was the most popular topic even when the group had no plans for it. Even at the present time, when all members of the group are in the army, people still keep talking about how big the consequences of BTS's enlistment are. It shows the strong influence of the world's top Kpop superstars.

There are many reports showing that BTS's enlistment severely damaged South kσrєα's economy. The a̾m̾e̾r̾i̾c̾an economic magazine Fortune estimates that kσrєα could lose billions of dollars from BTS members performing m̴i̴l̴i̴t̴a̴r̴y̴ service and stopping activities until 2025. Not only that, since 2017, 1/13 of the number of foreign tourist came to kσrєα thanks to the attraction of BTS. With the group temporarily suspending promotions, this number will also change. And there are many other economic, cultural, social, and even political aspects that are affected by the group's simultaneous m̴i̴l̴i̴t̴a̴r̴y̴ enlistment.

However, these losses cannot be compared to the mental losses that the group's fans have to face when they cannot meet BTS until 2025. Specifically, in a BBC article, they said pointed out that BTS enlisting in the army caused fans to be severely affected mentally. BBC quoted Professor Grace Chaos, who teaches K-pop at Yale University, saying: "For Western fans, it is cruel that the celebrities who have reached the peak of success have to stop working and rest, no matter they want it or not."

More notably, Jimin Park, a Malaysian K-pop scholar, also pointed out that many ARMY (BTS fandom) may be suffering from short 'depression'. This result was drawn after surveys and research on fans' reactions after BTS enlisted in the army. Facing a long period of silence after 10 years of getting used to BTS's explosive media activities is truly a big challenge for the group's loyal fans.

Not only that, BBC also commented on the m̴i̴l̴i̴t̴a̴r̴y̴ enlistment of BTS members in the context of comparison with The Beatles. They wrote in their article: "Imagine being scattered to join the military at the height of The Beatles' popularity. Imagine if The Beatles broke up at the height of the season to join the army. That's what the members of BTS, the world's greatest pop band, are doing right now".

But there is one extraordinary thing about BTS and ARMYs that BBC also sees: the dedication of ARMYs is like the dedication of wives sending their husbands off to fιgнт in World W@r II. Industry insiders predict that thanks to the dedication of their fans, BTS will be able to maintain their status even during the 'm̴i̴l̴i̴t̴a̴r̴y̴ era'.

BBC quoted Jeff Benjamin, K-pop columnist and writer for Billboard Magazine, as saying: "In general, anywhere in the world, the hiatus of pop groups affects the level of their popularity. But I dare say that if there is a group resisting this rule, it is BTS."

This was proven in fact when BTS's song Spring Day released in 2017 topped the US iTunes chart right after the members enlisted. 'Spring Day', a song that failed to reach number one even upon its release, successfully made a comeback thanks to ARMYs' perseverance and rose to number one after 6 years and 10 months since its release.

On the other hand, BBC hopes BTS's absence will attract more attention to other K-pop groups. Professor Park said: "BTS has received too much attention from the media." This also means that other groups cannot compete with BTS while the group is still active. Therefore, when BTS enlisted, a new opportunity opened up for other idols. He offers a new perspective: "This space will allow other K-pop groups to receive more attention."