At a long dinner that they filmed and shared on the internet, the South Korean boy band, BTS, announced that they have decided to go on a break. “I always thought that BTS was different from other groups, but the problem with K-pop and the whole idol system is that they don’t give you time to mature,” RM, the group’s leader said. BTS officially debuted in 2013 with 7 members: Jin, Suga, J-Hope, RM, Jimin, V, and Jungkook.

While the group has promised to return at some point, RM cited that the group has lost its direction. They did recently use their influence to send a message to stop anti-Asian hate last month, but overall BTS has begun to think their work was a little robotic. So, they decided to take a break from each other and do their own hobbies. They want to leave each other to grow mature as individuals and then keep going on. “I want BTS to go on for a long time,” said RM.

While the group’s job seems simple, they state that is more difficult than it seems. Suga said that it was hard to come up with lyrics that meant something, unlike some of the other groups who do not write their own songs. Also, BTS has been mistreated by multiple shows, feeling like they are being exploited for their work.