“BTS YEAR INDEED!!”- Fans react as BTS is voted the only K-pop boy group Korean soldiers are most excited to see in spring leave

BTS became the only male K-pop group to be ranked in the April 2025 military poll conducted by Kookbang Ilbo, the official newspaper of South Korea’s Ministry of National Defense.

This survey asked soldiers to name their favorite K-pop stars, with the final results revealing the top 10 most preferred artists. Out of these, nine were either girl groups or female soloists, making the Bangtan boys the sole male act on the list, securing the 10th spot.

This result highlighted their influence, even among an all-male group of respondents. Their presence on a list selected by South Korean soldiers reflects their appeal from people from various walks of life. The ARMYs are praising the septet for consistently breaking norms and maintaining their relevance in every sphere.

"OH BETWEEN ALL THOSE GIRLGROUPS! LMAO EVERYONE IS EXCITED FOR BTS. IT IS BTS YEAR INDEED!!" a fan said.

“The boys got taste,” a fan said.

“Kpop it group,” a fan coined.

“Pretty much reflect what's popular in korea especially men aged 18-28 demographic,” a fan wrote.

Some fans shared their hilarious take on the same.

“They really said women…. And BTS,” a fan remarked.

“Where are those people now who say Bangtan fans are only girls,” a fan stated.

“They said, we want women but will make exception for [the Bangtan boys],” another fan remarked.

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BTS ranks on the 10th position on Kookbang Ilbo's military poll with aespa ranking 1st

Kookbang Ilbo's "Military Barracks Chart" is a monthly initiative that gathers soldiers' opinions on various topics, aiming to enhance communication and participation within the military community.The surveys are conducted through The Camp, a public military communication app.

The survey, held from April 4 to April 17, 2025, asked 309 soldiers which artists they would most like to see perform during the upcoming spring K-Force Special Show, a series of music performances held at military camps to entertain troops.

Among them, aespa was able to secure the highest number of votes, with 18.1% of respondents selecting them as their preferred performers. Following closely behind was fromis_9 with 16.2% of the votes. Other popular choices included IU (6.5%), IVE (6.1%), and NMIXX (4.9%). The percentage of votes for BTS was 1.9%.

The list went on like this:

1. aespa
2. fromis_9
3. IU
4. IVE
5. NMIXX
6. NewJeans
7. QWER
8. BABYMONSTER
9. LE SSERAFIM
10. BTS

The reason for selecting aespa was revealed by some of these soldiers. They expressed that aespa's music and presence provided them with comfort and motivation during their service. One person shared that watching aespa's music videos during personal time helped him heal after exhausting days.

It is a particularly exciting era for the ARMYs as the group is all set to return in less than two months. The members RM and V, and Jimin and Jungkook are expected to mark their return on June 10 and 11 respectively, while Suga might return on June 21. With a lot of fanfare already surrounding their soon-to-arrive comeback, fans are anticipating a lot of things.