Over the past several years, the Membership system on Weverse has become a familiar and essential part of the global K-pop fan community. Signing up for a membership not only allows fans early access to official announcements and artist-related updates, but has increasingly become a priority requirement for purchasing items on Weverse Shop, entering fansign or fan meeting lotteries, and buying exclusive merchandise.
ARMYs are no exception. Membership has become almost a “must-have” every year. Even during the period when the group temporarily halted activities due to military enlistment, the majority of fans continued to maintain their annual memberships, despite the idols not being actively promoting or holding many events—simply because they wanted to keep their connection with the artists alive.
Recognizing the patience and sincere loyalty of its members, Weverse recently decided to show its appreciation by sending a special physical letter/message from BTS’s seven members to annual membership holders worldwide as a commemorative gift. On the 18th, some fans proudly shared on social media that they had received an email from Weverse inviting them to fill out a form to receive the letter, as a token of gratitude for their steadfast support throughout BTS’s three-year enlistment period.
It is understood that this is an extremely rare opportunity for fans to obtain a physical message from global superstars BTS—soмєтнing that has almost no precedent. In other words, it is comparable to the Hermès Himalayan Crocodile Birkin within the world of idol merchandise and fan collectibles.
However, while some fans excitedly showed off their emails, others grew anxious after realizing they had not received a similar notification, despite also being annual members. Before long, as confusion spread, Weverse posted an additional notice just a few hours after the emails were sent. A crucial note immediately caught fans’ attention: only members who qualify as GOLD MEMBERS are eligible to receive the physical letter.
To become a GOLD MEMBER, users must not only purchase membership for multiple years, but must also renew their membership consecutively at least three times within the same region. Each renewal must take place within the designated “renewal period”—from 60 days before to 30 days after the expiration date. Missing the ∂єα∂line or forgetting to renew even once breaks the consecutive streak, rendering the fan ineligible, regardless of how many annual membership badges they have earned, how many albums or merchandise items they have purchased, or how many concerts they have attended.
This clarification led many ARMYs who did not meet the requirements to express deep disappointment and even a sense of unfairness. On social media, numerous fans shared that they had “bought the membership every single year,” yet because of one missed renewal or a delay of just a few days, all their years of loyalty suddenly went unrecognized. For them, мιѕѕιиg out on the physical letter—a gift with both emotional and collectible value—felt like a significant loss.
What further frustrated fans was the fact that HYBE/Weverse has rarely emphasized how critical GOLD Membership status is for receiving special merchandise. Many ARMYs argued that had this condition been clearly communicated earlier, they would have been far more careful with renewals, instead of unintentionally мιѕѕιиg out without anticipating the consequences.
Some fans also pointed out that the criteria for achieving GOLD Membership are overly rigid and insufficiently fan-oriented. One disappointed fan shared their experience: “I'm still sad I'm not able to get the physical thing because I have been a member since 2021, but since Weverse counts me buying a merchbox membership in 2023 (while I already had an active normal one) as cancelling membership and started counting new with the merchbox one…”
Surprisingly, this was not an isolated case. Other fans reported similar issues: “The same exact thing happened to me and what frustrates me. I’ve been a paying member since Oct 2020 as well. It’s Weverse’s lack of equity in their criteria that I have a problem with,” or “It happened to my niece’s account since we bought the last four merch boxes through her account (we had to cancel her regular membership). Not fair in my view—there was continuity.” Another fan concluded: “Seems to be a pattern for people who switched between merch pack membership and regular,” calling the situation genuinely unfair.
While many fans remain immersed in disappointment and regret, others have tried to console them, noting that Weverse’s announcement also mentioned that a digital collectible/message will be sent to all members in January. At the very least, fans who do not qualify for the physical letter will still receive a special online message as a keepsake. Nevertheless, many admit that a digital version can hardly replace the emotional and collectible value of a physical letter sent by BTS.
Some fans have also begun to adopt a more open-minded perspective. A viral post reminded everyone: “A friendly reminder that every second the boys have spent on lives with us, every Weverse and Instagram post, every concert, every track and album dropped, are also special messages to ARMY.”
A physical letter may be precious, but it is only a single drop in the vast ocean of love BTS has shared with ARMYs over the years. What matters most is that BTS has now returned—and together, fans and artists will continue writing happier stories in the future.
