Dear Fellow CARATs,
Did you know “SEVENTEEN Renew Contracts With PLEDIS Entertainment”? I still can’t believe I’m typing this with tears in my eyes and the biggest smile on my face at the same time. April 5, 2026, wasn’t just another concert night at the Incheon Asiad Main Stadium, it was the moment our boys reminded us, once again, that SEVENTEEN is forever.
In the middle of the emotional finale of their “New_” World Tour Encore, right there under those blinding lights with 50,000 of us screaming our hearts out, S.Coups stepped forward and dropped the news we’d all been quietly hoping for: all 13 members have renewed their contracts with Pledis Entertainment. For the second time. As a CARAT who’s ridden this rollercoaster since 2015, I felt like the entire stadium exhaled in one massive, relieved, joyful breath. We’re staying together. We’re rowing the same boat, just like they promised.
SEVENTEEN renew contracts for the second time actually!
Let’s rewind for a second, because this renewal hits different when you remember how far we’ve come. Back in 2021, when the boys were only six years into their career, they shocked everyone by renewing their contracts a full year early. That first renewal wasn’t just paperwork.. it was a declaration. They chose each other when they could have gone separate ways. Fast-forward five years, and here we are in 2026.
Their original seven-year contracts (the ones that would have ended this April) were renewed again, this time even before the ink on the previous extension had time to dry in our memories. Pledis confirmed it the next day, but the real magic happened live on stage when S.Coups, voice steady but eyes shining, told us: “After having deep conversations among ourselves, all 13 of us decided to renew our contracts. We’ll stay on the same ship and keep rowing forward together with all our strength.”
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Can you imagine the weight of that decision? Thirteen grown men… leaders, vocalists, rappers, dancers, visuals sitting down together and saying, “Yes. We still want this. We still want each other.” In an industry where lineup changes, solo paths, and quiet departures have become almost expected, SEVENTEEN chose unity. Again. It’s not just business. It’s family. It’s the same thirteen boys who practiced until their feet bled in that tiny Pledis practice room, who built “Seventeen” from the ground up, and who have carried us through every high and low for eleven years.
And yet, even as we celebrate this incredible news, we can’t ignore the other chapter unfolding right now.. the one that’s tested our hearts the most: military enlistment. By April 2026, several of our members are already serving, and more are preparing to go. Jeonghan is counting down the final months until his discharge in June! Wonwoo, Hoshi, and Woozi have been giving their all in uniform since last year.
The 97 line, our beloved Mingyu and DK are the next ones everyone’s talking about. Recent updates and the quiet hints (those prince bows at recent schedules, the way they’ve been wrapping up activities with extra emotion) have CARATs gently preparing ourselves. Mingyu and DK haven’t received their exact call-up dates yet, but the timeline is clear: they’ll be enlisting sometime in the coming months, most likely this summer or early fall, well before their 30th birthdays in 2027. Seungkwan, Vernon, and Dino will follow in the years after.
It stings. Of course it does. Watching our boys trade stage lights for training grounds, concert screams for morning roll call… it’s the hardest part of loving idols in Korea. But here’s what makes SEVENTEEN different: they’ve never hidden from it. They’ve planned for it. They recorded ahead, they built subunit projects, they promised us the group stays 13 no matter who’s in uniform.
S.Coups, exempt because of his injury, has been the steady anchor. Joshua, Jun, and The8 (our international members) continue creating from wherever they are. The ones serving are sending us letters, little updates, and quiet strength through Weverse. And now, with this second contract renewal locked in, we know the “same ship” isn’t sinking, it’s just navigating through the necessary storm so it can sail even stronger when everyone returns.
Think about what this means for the future. No more uncertainty hanging over every comeback. No more wondering if the next tour will be the last before contracts expire. Instead, we get to dream bigger. The boys have already hinted at new music, bigger tours, and projects that only a fully committed SEVENTEEN could pull off. Imagine the 2027-2028 reunion era when the last members finish service, it’s going to be legendary. CARATs have waited through every hiatus, every lineup adjustment in other groups, and every anxious “what if.” This renewal tells us the wait was worth it. They chose us. They chose each other. They chose the long road together.
I keep replaying S.Coups’ words in my head: “We’ll stay on the same ship and keep rowing forward together.” That line isn’t just poetic, it’s their entire philosophy. Thirteen oars in the water, all pulling in the same direction, even when some of those oars are temporarily on leave for military duty. Mingyu and DK will serve with the same dedication they bring to every stage. They’ll come back stronger, just like Jeonghan, Wonwoo, Hoshi, and Woozi will. And when they do, we’ll be right here with “Carat Bong” high, voices hoarse from cheering, hearts fuller than ever.
To every CARAT reading this: whether you’re a Day 1 fan who remembers the “Adore U” music video drop or by Going Seventeen viral clips, a newer one who discovered them during the “Face the Sun” era, or even very recent ones… thank you for rowing with us. Thank you for the fan projects, the streaming parties, the letters to the military base, the way we lift each other up when the wait feels long. SEVENTEEN’s renewal isn’t just their victory…. it’s ours too. It’s proof that the bond we built with them is real, lasting, and stronger than any contract deadline or mandatory service.
So let’s celebrate properly. Blast “Super” or “Maestro” or whatever song feels like home today. Cry a little if you need to, happy tears only. And when Mingyu and DK eventually get their enlistment notices (because we all know it’s coming), we’ll send them off with the same love and happy we’ve shown the others. We’ll keep the rose quartz ocean shining bright until every single member is back on stage where they belong.
Thirteen members. One group. One promise.
We’re not going anywhere.
Forever a CARAT,
Your fellow row-mate on this beautiful ship..💎
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