Seventeen Said Goodbye to 55,000 Fans. Five More Members Are Heading to the Military.
The fan meeting was called Carat Land. The members called it something else. "I believe I have successfully wrapped up a chapter of the past 11 years," Mingyu told the crowd at Incheon Asiad Main Stadium on Sunday. He will enlist before the year ends. So will DK, Seungkwan, Vernon, and Dino.
The 10th edition of Seventeen's annual Carat Land fan meeting, held June 21-22 to mark the group's 11th debut anniversary, carried weight that the usual format - performances, games, fan-favorite moments - couldn't fully absorb. With Jeonghan, Wonwoo, Hoshi, and Woozi already in military service, nine members took the stage across two nights at a stadium that held 55,000 people per show. The five remaining eligible members used the platform to confirm what fans had known was coming since a May appearance on producer Na Young-seok's variety show: all five will begin mandatory service in the second half of 2026.
The members were specific about what they wanted fans to take away. "During my 20s, we all ran together for our dreams," Jun told the crowd. "Thanks to you, we were able to achieve a lot of them. And we also got new dreams." DK addressed the gap directly: "You said that you'll wait for us, and that gave me strength." S.Coups, speaking as group leader, extended the gratitude beyond the current fanbase: "I'd like to take this time to say thank you to everyone who has been a part of our lives, even those who may not be our fans anymore, for supporting SEVENTEEN throughout its career."
The group closed the event with a message that spread across social media within hours of the show ending: "More brilliant now than at first, even more so in the future, us. CARATs, we'll come back to you as 13 members again." The full OT13 reunion is currently projected for 2028 - Seventeen's 13th debut anniversary.
The math behind that timeline is specific. Jeonghan enlisted in September 2024. Wonwoo followed in April 2025. Hoshi and Woozi went in September 2025. With the five remaining members enlisting across the second half of 2026, the last to discharge will likely do so in late 2027 or early 2028, depending on whether each member serves the standard 18-month active duty or the slightly longer social service alternative. Pledis Entertainment has not announced individual enlistment dates for any of the five.
What Seventeen leaves behind before the hiatus is a catalog built during a period of uninterrupted output: 13 members, 11 years, Billboard's No. 7 position on its most recent biannual Top Tours chart - the highest ever recorded for a K-pop act. V8, the Vernon-The8 unit, releases its debut mini-album on June 29. Joshua speaks at UNESCO headquarters in Paris on June 25. The unit and solo activity will continue through the enlistment period. The full group will not.
"When we return in two or three years, I think that's when our second chapter will truly begin," Mingyu said. "We'll return having grown and changed, and I hope you'll continue to love us then too."
