When Kim Taehyung — better known as BTS’s V — reported for active duty on December 11, 2023, ARMY collectively held its breath. Three of the seven BTS members were already in uniform, and V’s enlistment alongside RM, Jungkook, and Jimin meant the group was, for the first time since 2013, fully on hiatus.
What ARMY didn’t quite expect: by the time V was discharged on June 10, 2025, his 18 months in uniform would become one of the most public — and most decorated — military service stories in K-pop history. From the elite Special Duty Team (SDT) counter-terror unit, to platoon-leader-after-18-days, to a Military Police Exemplary Award, here’s the full timeline of V’s army era.
December 2023 — Enlistment
V entered the Republic of Korea Army’s Nonsan Training Center on December 11, 2023, the same week as Jimin, with RM and Jungkook also enlisting in December. He chose active-duty service — not the public service option that’s available to many idols — which would commit him to the full 18-month army term.
Within his first 18 days at Nonsan, V was appointed platoon leader (분대장), an unusually fast designation that hinted at how seriously he was taking the assignment. He graduated basic training in mid-January 2025 as an “Elite Trainee” (모범 훈련병).
The SDT selection
Most active-duty K-pop enlistees end up in standard infantry or military police roles. V went considerably further. After basic training, he volunteered for and passed an additional three weeks of selection training to qualify for the Army’s Special Duty Team (특임대 / SDT) — the counter-terror unit attached to the Military Police.
He was assigned to the 2nd Corps Ssangyong Brigade Military Police Special Task Force. The SDT’s job, per the unit’s public-facing mission statement, includes counter-terrorism early response, riot suppression, VIP protection, and special-operations support. In V’s own words to fans during a livestream:
“I came out of the Special Duty Team — SDT. We do a lot of internal suppression work. A lot of close-quarter combat. I learned a lot of martial arts.”
— V, on his SDT training
In April 2024, an Instagram community page called “육군훈련소 대신 전해드립니다” (“We’ll Tell You On Behalf of the Nonsan Training Center”) posted a photo of V in full SDT counter-terror uniform — black tactical kit, balaclava, the works. The image went viral instantly, with Korean media half-jokingly calling it “Descendants of the Sun 2 isn’t it?”
The bulk-up: 61 kg → 80 kg → 67 kg
One of the more talked-about side effects of SDT service: V gained nearly 20 kg of muscle during his service, going from his pre-enlistment 61 kg up to 80 kg before tapering back down to a leaner 67 kg by discharge. In a post-service interview, he framed it bluntly:
“I’d promised the fans I’d come back healthier, so I really worked at it.”
— V, on the army gym routine
The transformation was visible enough that the post-discharge fan reaction split roughly down the middle between “he looks like an action movie lead” and “give us back our soft Slow Dancing V.”
Watch: the last MV before service
The natural soundtrack to V’s military era was the album he left behind: 2023’s Layover, a jazz-and-R&B departure from BTS-style pop. “Slow Dancing” was its title track — and the song that ARMY put on repeat through the entire 18 months.
Video: V ‘Slow Dancing’ Official MV — BIGHIT MUSIC / HYBE.
Promotions, awards, and the Big Mama salute
By February 2025, V was logging onto Instagram from the barracks to update fans as “Sergeant Kim” (병장 김태형). By March 13, 2025, Korean reports had him already at Sergeant 1st Class — fast progression that lined up with how the SDT runs its ranks.
In April 2025, V pushed through injuries during the unit’s winter training and live-fire shooting evaluation and posted the highest score in his cohort — earning him the Military Police Exemplary Award (군사경찰 표창). That same period, the army’s “Goondori” (군도리) messaging service for soldiers reported V had received over 4.5 million letters from fans, a record for any K-pop artist in service.
There was also the moment that broke containment online: V, in uniform, encountering veteran Korean rock band Big Mama at an event and giving them a perfectly crisp military salute with the line “방탄소년단 뷔라 합니다” (“I’m V from BTS, sir/ma’am”). The clip ran on every entertainment portal for a week.
June 10, 2025 — Discharge
V completed his 18-month service and discharged on June 10, 2025, the same day as Jimin. Within a week, he was already back in front of cameras — most memorably for a “Military Twins” dance challenge with choreographer Ri Jeong (리정) that hit 15 million likes on TikTok, setting the record for the most-liked K-pop artist video on the platform in 2025.
By July 2025 he was already visiting a junior soldier from his former SDT unit to celebrate that soldier’s own discharge — a small thing that mattered a lot to people who had served with him.
What came after: the post-army V
The second half of 2025 and into 2026 has been V’s biggest year as a global brand and visual artist:
- Brand ambassador roles for Celine, Cartier, TirTir, and Paradise City
- Walked at Vogue World Hollywood 2025
- 2026 photobook TYPE 非, leaning into his interest in film photography
- BTS full reunion with all 7 members on March 20, 2026 with their 5th studio album ARIRANG, followed by a world tour kickoff on April 9, 2026
Why V’s military era hit different
K-pop has been through a lot of high-profile enlistments. V’s stood out for two reasons. One: he chose the hardest path available to him — SDT, not public service — and finished it with awards, not just a clean discharge. Two: through the entire 18 months, he stayed visibly, warmly in touch with fans through letters, occasional Instagram updates, and the few approved livestreams the army allowed.
The Sergeant 1st Class who walked out of camp on June 10, 2025 is, in important ways, the same V who recorded “Slow Dancing” on a Spanish beach two years earlier. Just with about 6 kg more muscle and a permanent place in Korea’s military-service-of-K-pop-idols hall of fame.
Sources:
뉴시스 — BTS 뷔, 군사경찰단 특임대 복무 모습 (April 2024) ·
서울신문 — 특수임무대 전투복 입은 ‘BTS 뷔’ ·
Seoul Shinmun (EN) — V on SDT training ·
Sportskeeda — Taehyung’s impressive military records ·
NPR — BTS reunion as members complete military service (June 10, 2025) ·
Allkpop — V visits junior from former unit ·
Star News — 뷔, 벌크업에 또 벌크업 ·
YouTube — V ‘Slow Dancing’ Official MV (BIGHIT MUSIC)
