K-Pop Superstars BTS to Go on ‘Hiatus,’ But Talent Agency Says Group Will ‘Remain Active’

South Korean boy band BTS will take a break as a group and pursue solo projects in a surprise announcement that drew mixed feelings from fans.

The seven-piece group announced the decision during their annual FESTA celebration on June 14. The band marked their ninth anniversary a day before.

“We’re going into a hiatus now. Should we talk about why we’re not doing the FESTA or making content?,” band member Suga said.

Jimin revealed that they have been experiencing a “rough patch” in search of their identity. “That's an exhausting and long process," Jimin said.

RM, known as the group’s leader, also opened up about issues with South Korea’s idol system, which he said puts so much pressure on artists to make music and creates "no time left for growth.”

The group said the break will allow them to focus on individual projects but assured fans that they are not disbanding and that they will be back.

“We’re each going to take some time to have fun and experience lots of things. We promise we will return someday even more mature than we are now,” Jungkook said.

Fans React

BTS’ announcement sent ripples across news sites and social media. Fans expressed their sadness over the planned hiatus while encouraging fellow ARMYs to support the boys’ individual projects.

“BTS HIATUS” is one of the trending topics on Twitter, amassing 657,000 tweets as of writing. “RM of BTS” and “Dear BTS” are also among the trends.

Meanwhile, a representative of the band clarified to international media outlets that BTS is not taking a break.

“To be clear, they are not on hiatus but will take time to explore some solo projects at this time and remain active in various different formats,” the representative told Rolling Stone.

BBC News quoted the same statement and attributed it to Hybe, the entertainment company that manages BTS.