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Will Big Bang split up?
By Park Si-soo
Will popular K-pop boy band Big Bang split up? Its five members are expected to join the military one after another in the foreseeable future to fulfill their mandatory military duty.
In this context, a question arises: Will their enlistment lead to the group’s disbandment?
The Washington Post recently interviewed the band members in Tokyo while they were on the world tour, during which Tokyo bureau chief Anna Fifield threw tricky questions regarding their enlistment and the band’s future.
Under the title “They’re the biggest band in Asia, but Big Bang’s days may be numbered,” the U.S. daily reported that Big Bang members would remain united for a while, but its lifespan would certainly end, saying “the clock is ticking for Big Bang.”
“If we’re going to talk about that, we’ll feel sad,” band leader G-Dragon was quoted as saying. “We are Korean, so we have to go (into the military) someday, but I don’t know when it’s going to be.”
Speculation is rife that T.O.P, who turned 28, could enlist this year, while G-Dragon and Taeyang, both 27, are tipped to enter the military in 2017.
The newspaper said that”for now” they were not talking about splitting up, but this did not mean the band would exist forever.
The article ends with G-Dragon’s quote: “Carpe diem [seize the day], you know.”