K-Pop Supergroup BTS Disbanded For Mandatory Military Service & The Move Could Cost South Korea BILLIONS

The heart of today's ZeroBlog30 involved Out & About's Pat & Joey helping us decide which historical military leaders we'd send "u up?" texts to, but another topic we covered involved fellas with their own Army, even though they aren't exactly military guys... yet. 

K Pop supergroup BTS is now being called upon to serve in the South Korean military after years of speculation as to "if" or "when" they'd finally have to go. Though most men in that country must enlist by the time they turn 28, BTS had applied for a special exemption that may have gotten them out of it, but this year top leaders essentially shot that down. 

Dante blogged about it yesterday but you can listen to us discuss all the details on today's ZBT at 42:06 above.. We dive into the fascinating culture of fandom around the band, the great lengths their 'handlers' go to go keep their image up, to a numbers breakdown of fans, net worths & more. 

The one part we didn't get too into was what this move could potentially cost the country itself financially, and Fortune had an interesting thread that's worth scrolling if you've got the time:

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Naturally, as with any news on BTS, their Army was quick to defend & correct any perceived negative press: