"Should Everyone Serve in the Military?" vs. "They Say They Will Enlist Themselves" - Disagreement on BTS Military Service Special Case Emerges in Ruling Party

Nowungrae "If BTS Activities Stop, They Cannot Promote National Prestige"
Park Seongmin "I Wonder If It's Right for Politics to Place the Burden"

[Asia Economy Reporter Lim Ju-hyung] There is a disagreement within the ruling party leadership regarding the plan to grant military service exemptions to famous pop culture artists such as BTS. Some BTS members, who have gained global popularity by topping the US Billboard charts, are approaching their enlistment dates.

Earlier, Roh Woong-rae, a Supreme Council member of the Democratic Party of Korea, proposed to bring the military service exemption for BTS members into public discussion.

At the party's Supreme Council meeting held at the National Assembly on the 5th, Roh said, "BTS, the Korean Wave stars, have generated an economic effect of 60 trillion won over 10 years, and 6 trillion won this year alone," adding, "They topped the Billboard charts, bringing an effect of 1.7 trillion won, and the extent of their contribution to promoting Korea's national prestige through the Korean Wave is difficult to even estimate, so we should seriously discuss military service exemptions."

He continued, "The duty of national defense is a sacred obligation, but not everyone has to bear arms."

The next day (the 6th), Roh further explained that the military service exemption for BTS should take the form of alternative service rather than complete exemption.

Appearing on a radio broadcast that day, Roh said, "If BTS's activities are suspended, it means they cannot promote national prestige," and explained, "Military exemption means completely avoiding military service, but military service special cases recognize military service by requiring certain conditions to be met during the period."

He added, "Just as there is a public review committee that evaluates and sets certain criteria for industrial and scientific special service personnel, I believe pop artists can be similarly evaluated," emphasizing, "We live in an era where Bob Dylan receives the Nobel Prize in Literature. The Korean Wave can be considered a representative future strategic industry, so if everything else qualifies for military service special cases except this, it would contradict the legislative intent of the system."

Nowungrae, Supreme Council Member of the Democratic Party of Korea / Photo by Yonhap News

On the other hand, some within the party have expressed caution regarding this proposal.

Park Sung-min, a Supreme Council member of the Democratic Party and a university student, appeared on BBS Radio's 'Park Kyung-soo's Morning Journal' that day and said, "Since BTS themselves have stated they will fulfill their military duties, I wonder if it is appropriate for the political sphere to impose a burden," adding, "There are divided opinions within the party. No conclusion has been reached, and I think it is not an issue that can be easily resolved."

Jeon Yong-gi, a lawmaker from the same party, emphasized in a CBS radio interview that the issue should be handled from a fairness perspective. Jeon said, "Unlike sports, where international competitions are clear, pop culture artists have ambiguous aspects," and added, "While BTS certainly promotes national prestige globally, we need to clearly establish the criteria for national prestige before discussing exemptions or special privileges."

The group BTS concluded "BTS Week," a special five-day event organized by the American NBC program "The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon," on the 2nd (local time). / Photo by Big Hit Entertainment [Image source=Yonhap News]

Meanwhile, BTS is enjoying worldwide popularity, with their new song this year, "Dynamite," topping the US Billboard Hot 100 singles chart for two consecutive weeks. However, as some group members approach their enlistment dates, attention is turning to their military service issues.

Regarding this, BTS's agency Big Hit Entertainment recently projected in a securities report submitted to the Financial Services Commission that member Jin could legally postpone enlistment until the end of 20201, when he turns 29 (calculated by subtracting birth year from the current year under the Military Service Act).

However, Big Hit explained, "As of the date of the securities report submission, the enlistment timing and method for BTS members, including Jin, have not been decided," adding, "It may be affected by the Military Manpower Administration's approval of enlistment postponement and changes to the Military Service Act."

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.