Powerhouse South Korean boy band BTS' rapper Suga will be taking a break from all official activities for the time being to recover from shoulder surgery.

According to Yonhap news agency, the septet's management agency Big Hit Entertainment said in a statement on Friday that the 27-year-old star, whose real name is Min Yoon-gi, "underwent surgery to repair his torn shoulder labrum" last Tuesday.

His agency added that he opted for surgery "to restore himself to good health to prepare for his mandatory military service as well as his post-service musical career".

According South Korean entertainment news portal Soompi, the star said in a message to fans that his surgery went well and that he would be back onstage soon.

He said: "Since I perform as part of my job, I tried to avoid the surgery as much as I could and endured with rehabilitation and shots. However, I was afraid because it kept getting worse whenever I had to perform."

Suga has had issues with his left shoulder for several years, since he was involved in a traffic accident in 2012 while working as a part-time delivery driver before his boy band debut.

He has made references to his injury in his music before, such as in his solo song First Love (2016), where the lyrics mention his "crushed shoulder".

BTS will be embarking on promotions for their next album, BE, slated for release on Nov 20. But Big Hit Entertainment said Suga may be absent from the upcoming activities so that he can heal and rest.