In June this year, all 7 members of BTS completed their military service, opening up expectations of a full return to the lineup of the world's largest Kpop group after more than 2 years.
However, a series of dating rumors, internal disputes and troubles at the company level have turned the waiting period before the comeback into a turbulent period for BTS.
dating rumors divide fandoms
In August, dating rumors between BTS's Jimin and actress Song Da Eun were suddenly reopened, when Song Da Eun posted a video of the two meeting in the elevator of the apartment building where the male singer was living.
Management company BigHit Music (under HYBE Group) previously kept silent with the reason of respecting the artist's privacy, but this time was forced to speak up to admit that Jimin and Song Da Eun had dated in the past.
This is an old relationship so it does not create a big storm, but love is always a topic that can cause negative reactions to artists, when a part of fans cannot accept their idols dating.
After Jimin's story calmed down, recently, the suspicion of Jungkook (BTS) and Winter (aespa) dating once again caused a stir in the fandom. Speculation is growing because of allegations that the two have couple tattoos and other similar signs.
This time, the management company of both artists did not confirm or deny it, making the public believe that the couple was dating for the truth, thereby sparking much debate.
While many people emphasized the respect for the artist's private life, others expressed their frustration, saying that the artist did not consider the emotions of fans when deliberately revealing dating signs, causing panic in the fandom.
The fierce reaction reached its peak when a fan sent a truck with a message of protest to HYBE Group headquarters, criticizing Jungkook as a "fan traitor".
Group leader confesses pressure
Amid Jungkook's dating rumors, leader RM frankly shared on livestream about BTS's internal difficulties.
RM said he no longer felt that he could "represent the whole team", and said that although he was a center forward of BTS until around 2017-2018, that position was no longer suitable for the present.
He also revealed that the members had thought about the extreme decision, RM himself had thinked tens of thousands of times about whether BTS should disband orceive operations.
These shares show the huge pressure that BTS is under, in their efforts to maintain the momentum between military service, solo careers and harsh scrutiny from the public.
However, RM's statement was also dissatisfied by some fans, saying that this was "sensitive" and "unsuitable to share" at a time when fans were waiting for the group to reunite.
The wind of HYBE Group
HYBE Group is sinking into a series of major fluctuations. The top girl group NewJeans of their subsidiary ADOR unilaterally terminated their contract in November 2024, leading to a year-long legal confrontation.
ADOR recently won a lawsuit against NewJeans, but the future of the group's comeback is uncertain.
While the lawsuit between HYBE and former ADOR CEO Min Hee Jin continues, many HYBE groups and subsidiaries are dragged into conflicts.
In particular, HYBE Chairman Bang Si Hyuk is being investigated in connection with allegations of fraudulent transactions during the company's IPO process in 2020.
These changes increase the uncertainty for the corporation that is in charge of coordinating BTS' comeback.
