The Sole 4th Generation Boy Group Member Who Finished Military Service Before Debut

So, here’s the scoop! If you’re a K-Pop fan, you know the drill—many boy group members have to take a break from promoting to serve in the military. Yep, it’s a big part of the culture! Every able-bodied male in Korea has to complete active duty or public service based on their health.

With service lasting anywhere from 18 to 21 months, fans might be itching for any updates on members already done with their service, like all members of BTOB.

Here’s the twist! One member from the new fourth-generation group, The Wind, actually completed his military service at just 18! Crazy, right? This group, which debuted in 2023, is under a sub-label of Around Us Entertainment—the agency that popped up after HIGHLIGHT left Cube Entertainment.

Get this: out of the group’s six members, five are Korean and one, Thanatorn, is from Thailand.

During a recent fan meeting, then-leader Jaewon dropped a bombshell—Thanatorn had already finished his military service! Talk about a plot twist! But after just seven months, Jaewon left the group for personal reasons.

Now, Thailand has a similar setup, but with some key differences. Men there also have to serve, but for two years. Plus, if you volunteer, the timeline can change depending on whether you get randomly selected.

As Jaewon explained, Thanatorn actually completed some kind of training that covered his military requirements, so he didn’t need to enter the lottery later on. Pretty cool, right?

230527 음중 미니팬미팅

최초 05군필돌 거짓말 같다…혼미해…#더윈드 #THEWIND #The_Wind#타나톤 #THANATORN pic.twitter.com/QIXGDhxMUn

— 체다 (@S2thevv) May 27, 2023

It’s kind of like the combat class that Korea used to have. If you pass the class, you get credit for it, and your service gets waived. So he knows how to handle a gun and everything. Basically, he’s 19-years-old (Korean age) but done with his military service.

— Jaewon

With the oldest member born in 2004 and 94-liners just starting to enlist this year, The Wind is gearing up for a long promotional run without any breaks for military service! Fingers crossed!