BTS are the world's top Kpop superstars and so, even when they joined the army, their m̴i̴l̴i̴t̴a̴r̴y̴ life still received a lot of attention. The group seems to be the first m̴i̴l̴i̴t̴a̴r̴y̴ celebrity to make the public around the world curious and learn about the kσrєαn m̴i̴l̴i̴t̴a̴r̴y̴ system. This shows how great their influence is.
In particular, one of the topics that has been discussed a lot recently when the 7 members joined the army is how much their monthly income is. When not yet in the army, BTS are clearly sought-after stars with very high salaries, but when in the barracks, income sources from the entertainment industry are limited and m̴i̴l̴i̴t̴a̴r̴y̴ salaries become their main income.
Let's see how much the members are paid each month for their m̴i̴l̴i̴t̴a̴r̴y̴ service from the government in the article below:
The media in recent years has always reported that BTS is the artist with the highest current income. This is understandable as BTS has always held the first position in the list of kσrєαn music groups with high commercial value for many years. Owning high-value advertising contracts along with revenue from many sources such as album sales, merchandise, online concerts, YouTube, music copyright... or even owning shares of вιg нιт Music makes 7 members BTS members own an admirable amount of net worth.
However, from the end of last year when Jin was the first BTS member to enlist until the end of this year when the last 4 members enlisted in mid-December, BTS's income has changed significantly. According to kσrєαn m̴i̴l̴i̴t̴a̴r̴y̴ regulations, when becoming sold̾i̾e ̾rs serving in the army, BTS cannot actively earn money from their main job. This means that BTS will not be able to sign contracts or release music products from the time they enlist until they are discharged, losing a significant source of revenue.
Instead, because BTS members are serving their country by enlisting in the army, they will be paid a monthly salary by the Government like other young kσrєαn men who enlist. But of course, that amount of money is small compared to what BTS members can earn when working as the world's top superstars. Because the sold̾i̾e ̾rs' salaries are publicized by the kσrєαn government, it is easy to see how much each member of the group currently earns per month.
First, salaries in the m̴i̴l̴i̴t̴a̴r̴y̴ are divided by rank, while ranks increase over time. Therefore, the longer you serve in the army, the higher your salary will be. Therefore, the person with the highest income in the army among the seven was Jin, who was the first to enlist. As a Sergeant, his monthly salary is said to be 1.00 million KRW (about 775 USD).
Similarly, the second member of BTS to enlist, j-hope, also achieved the second highest salary among BTS sold̾i̾e ̾rs. He is currently serving as a Corporal and receives a salary of ₩800,000 KRW (about 620 USD) per month. The next highest earner is private - SUGA. According to reported figures, his monthly income currently stands at ₩680,000 KRW (about $527 USD).
Finally, RM, Jimin, V, and Jungkook, who all enlisted between December 11 and 12, are still in the middle of their five-week basic training. During this time, the standard pay of trainees is ₩600,000 KRW (about $465 USD). Among these four, V’s salary is expected to rise at a higher rate than the others since he will be joining the elite Special Duty Team after his training.
In 2024, all BTS members will enjoy a 25% spike in their m̴i̴l̴i̴t̴a̴r̴y̴ wages as a part of the universal pay hike for all conscripts, in line with a planned budget hike. Meanwhile, the BTS members are still raking up päṩṩive income as major shareholders of HYBE, which has an accumulated value of ₩100 billion KRW (about $77.5 million USD) as per the stock’s closing price on December 21. Their income from song streams, royalties, commercial endorsements, and album sales are also enriching their net worth while they serve.
