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A Look At BTS' Suga's Journey Ahead Of His Military Discharge
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BTS announced their plans to enlist in 2022. Jin, the first member of the group, was discharged in June 2024. Now, Suga's time in service is almost complete.
Suga, a member of BTS, is nearing his military discharge date, which is set for June 21. His enlistment is part of South Korea's mandatory military service, which all able-bodied men must complete before turning 28. As BTS prepared to enlist, there was much speculation about how the group would handle the situation, and the South Korean government even conducted a poll asking citizens what they thought should be done.
But BTS made their decision and announced their plans to enlist in 2022. Jin, the first member of the group, was discharged in June 2024. Now, Suga's time in service is almost complete. Ahead of Suga's military discharge, let's take a look at his journey.
Suga, born Min Yoon-Gi, grew up in Daegu, South Korea's third-largest city. His love for hip-hop began at a young age when he heard South Korean rappers Epik High and Stony Skunk. Before joining BTS, Suga was part of the underground rap scene and performed with a group called D-Town (Daegu-Town) under the name Gloss.
Suga initially joined Big Hit Entertainment as a music producer. Along with BTS members RM and J-Hope, he trained under the company for three years. In 2013, Suga debuted with BTS and performed their track No More Dream on Mnet's M Countdown. Over the years, Suga has written, produced and composed numerous tracks for BTS.
The K-pop idol has made his mark as a solo artist under the name Agust D. His mixtapes Agust D (2016) and D-2 (2020) were critically acclaimed. In April 2023, he released his first full solo album, D-Day. He has written for and collaborated with other artists like Suran, for whom he wrote the track Wine which won Best Soul/R&B track at the 2017 Melon Music Awards.
Suga is known for his contributions to various charitable causes. According to Tatler Asia, over the years, he has donated to organisations such as the Korean Paediatric Cancer Foundation, Keimyung University Dongsan Hospital and the Hope Bridge Association for National Disaster Relief.
Despite his fame, Suga has been open about the difficulties he faced in his early years, especially during his trainee period. In the Burn the Stage documentary series, he shared how tough it was mentally and financially. The rapper said that he used to buy lottery tickets in hopes of winning each week. He also opened up about how he would have to choose between taking the bus and eating.
Apart from his music career, Suga also has a passion for football. In fact, he was named as a brand-new NBA Ambassador for the 2022/23 season. His stage name, Suga, is actually inspired by his love for basketball. When he played as a shooting guard on his team, he opted to merge the first syllable of each word to form SUGA.
First Published:
May 15, 2025, 15:39 IST
