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As the new day approaches in South Korea, ARMYs trend #HappyBirthdayToARMY in order to celebrate a special occasion; the day the fandom was officially established. July , 2021 marks ARMY's 8th anniversary of existence.
BTS debuted in 2013, with their single "No More Dream." While the 7-member boy band remained under the radar at the beginning of their career, they blew up in 2015 with their album trilogy "The Most Beautiful Moment in Life."
Since then, BTS has been on a steady curve upwards; from hosting a fanmeet with 32 attendees, to hosting a fanmeet packed with ARMYs in the Olympic Gymnastics Area in Seoul, the boy-band have always made their appreciation towards their fans evident.
Also read: BTS and One Direction fans face off in a competition for UEFA EURO
What does ARMY mean? The story behind the name
The name ARMY was declared as BTS' official fandom name on July 9th, 2013 - around a month after BTS' debut. The name stands for "Adorable Representative M.C. for Youth." While the name may confuse people at first, it stands in line with the original meaning of BTS, before it was given its new meaning of "Beyond the Scene."
The full form of BTS is "Bangtan Sonyeondan," literally translated to "Bulletproof Boy Scouts" in English. To quote a previously stated explanation, they are "Bulletproof" as "It's protection against the bias and negative criticisms of teenagers, and also righteously protecting (BTS') music."
In the same way, ARMY or A.R.M.Y, is stated to be something that BTS needs, in the way that an "ARMY" sticks with their "Leader."
Also read: BTS' Jungkook trends worldwide as fans go crazy over singer's new hairstyle
ARMYs take over Twitter to celebrate the momentous occasion
The moment midnight arrived in BTS' home country of South Korea, fans rushed to Twitter to post heart-felt messages and memes alike.
To commemorate the day, BTS' official Twitter account dropped the link to a fan-dedicated "playlist," where each member of the group takes turns performing one of their solo songs.
Fans are delighted at the surprise, and without a doubt, many more are to come throughout the day as a gift to the ARMYs who have supported the band through thick and thin.
