Which millitary enlistment 'strategy' do you think is the best for boy group?

  • 1. Enlist at the same time

    - Onf for example all enlist at the same time and will quickly back after that as a complete group but the members will have no opportunity to do solo activity during that time like most groups do.


    2. Enlist one by one

    - Exo for example and a lot more groups. Members will going one by one according to their age. They have time to go for solo activities during this time but it takes longer for the group to be complete.


    3. Enlist one by one in a short time after their solo activities

    - Bts for example where they all released their own album and doing their individual schedules before enlist one by one close to each other. They don't really have much time so their solo promotion is quite short and rush but they will complete as a group faster.


    My opinion, I like onf style better. Everyone go and everyone back together. The second one taking a lot of time even when I actually enjoy their solo promotion while the third options is really limited to groups with huge fanbase only and maybe only suitable for Bts bc it's hard for fans to support everything in one time.

  • Two batches


    Hyungs go first, maknaes do solos


    In the middle have a group comeback with everyone


    then send maknaes while hyungs do solo


    That way there is always members to promote and there is a group album there to keep fans too

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  • This is nice. You can even make it as a unit debut activities. The maknaes unit and the hyung unit

    yeah they can do units but I feel like at that point in their career alot of idols wanna explore sth independently


    Its nice to do so, it also helps them grow artistically and bring back more to the group


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  • This is nice too, do we have any examples of group doing this?


    It still takes about 4 years, but it's better especially than going one by one.

  • This is a good idea as well

  • Also what are the minimum age of military enlistment at SK?


    I mean, why didn't they just debut after completing their enlistment? So they can get 7 year straight without disturbance

    People don’t want to go to the military.

    They are training before they enlist. Taking a break there isn’t helpful.

    Lots of idols debut before they turn 18. Kpop is meant for teens.

  • This is nice too, do we have any examples of group doing this?


    It still takes about 4 years, but it's better especially than going one by one.

    SHINee?

    Onew + Minho and Key went late 2018 to first quarter 2019

    Taemin did 3 solos and a full JAT tour

    Had a group comeback with dont call me, atlantis and super star in 2021

    Then Taemin went, Key had 3 solos, Onew 4 and Minho 1 solo + 1 drama in that time


    They are coming back again in June.


    To put it in perspective 2pm got out the same time as them, their comeback was around dont call me and they still havent had another comeback. So SHINee's comeback looks like a veteran group normal comeback schedual rather than any hiatus being there.

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  • If you have smaller groups it’s easier than larger groups. The larger the group the more difficult enlistment will be.


    EXO had actually planned it some what ok but SM fucked it up.


    Obsession should Have happened before ksoo and Minseok enlisted they waited forever. DFTF should have happened a bit before so that it could have been promoted and now the new EXO cb which was supposed to be full will also happen weirdly because SM didn’t time the cb properly again.


    EXO enlistment was timed well. Only if SM didn’t suck so much and utilized that well.

  • 1. The best option if the group want to comeback as a group faster.



    2. Takes too long but if the members want to do more solo activities it is the ideal.


    3. The group will be able to comeback faster and do solo activities but needs a lot of support from fans.

  • Personally I think either are fine but I would choose ONF.


    I've been an casual listener for a little and I still have issues with who's who if I'm honest, but it was cool to hear that they went together (minus their Japanese member Yuto/U).


    I also enjoy their YouTube. They pre filmed content and didn't post certain content until their military time. I think it was really smart. I find a lot of their stuff fun and easy to watch.

  • Also speaking from experience from Day6


    They did bit by bit but maybe it's just me, it doesn't feel very long?


    I mean it is long but somehow unknowingly 2 of them are already back, 2 are coming back soon


    And somehow they are even in the news during their military era


    Or maybe because I have multiple faves so 1 group enlistment doesn't make me fall deep into kpop depression

  • The more the members you have and the greater the age gap between youngest and eldest complicates things, unless you go all at once, and return together 2 years later...but that can cause loss of fanbase and loss of revenue for the company.

  • Number 3 fucks up solo debuts and is only feasible for groups with a massive fandom which can support all members fairly reasonably. I agree with OP, very few fandoms apart from Armys could have pulled so many back to back cramped releases off successfully.

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