Defense Committee Faces BTS Controversy Again... Ministry of National Defense Says "Cautious"

[Image source=Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy Yang Nak-gyu, Military Specialist Reporter] Controversy over BTS's military service exemption resurfaced during the full meeting of the National Assembly's National Defense Committee. In response, Defense Minister Lee Jong-seop and Military Manpower Administration Commissioner Lee Ki-sik expressed cautious views regarding the review of enforcement ordinances for BTS's military service exemption.

On the 29th, during the full meeting of the National Defense Committee, Seong Il-jong, a member of the People Power Party, cited famous athletes such as Go player Lee Chang-ho, soccer player Son Heung-min, the 2002 World Cup semifinalist team, and the 2006 World Baseball Classic (WBC) baseball team, who received alternative military service exemptions, suggesting that BTS could also be allowed alternative service. He also claimed that BTS's economic ripple effect amounts to 56 trillion won and argued that although the Military Manpower Administration could handle this through enforcement ordinances, the matter was passed to the National Assembly.

In response, Minister Lee said, "We cannot overlook the fact that military service resources are rapidly decreasing, leading to a reduction in the number of military service exemption recipients, and that the values of fairness and equity in fulfilling military duties are becoming increasingly important."

Commissioner Lee Ki-sik explained, "In Son Heung-min's case, existing laws applied, and for the World Cup and baseball teams, enforcement ordinances were created and applied because the laws at the time did not cover them, but these ordinances were later removed due to public opinion." He added, "Even when Korea placed second in the WBC, there were demands for alternative service, but they were not granted, and the current legal framework has been maintained. Since BTS's case involves adding something not currently in the law, as the minister said, it is better to carefully consider this."

The responses from the Defense Minister and the Military Manpower Administration Commissioner are interpreted as a stance that it is more appropriate to gather public opinion through the National Assembly and establish clear laws rather than making arbitrary decisions at the government ministry level.

BTS has been at the center of controversy over military service since they topped the Billboard main album chart 'Billboard 200' in 2018. Recently, BTS attracted even more attention by becoming the first Asian artist to win the grand prize at the American Music Awards, one of the three major U.S. popular music award ceremonies.

The music industry holds the view that BTS should be granted the status of artistic and athletic personnel. This would allow them to perform alternative military service as artistic and athletic personnel who have contributed to national prestige and cultural development. Those judged eligible for alternative service as artistic and athletic personnel undergo four weeks of basic military training and then engage in their specialty field for 34 months, along with 544 hours of volunteer work.

However, the eligibility for artistic and athletic personnel is limited. The military service exemption system for the arts and sports, established in 1973, granted benefits to athletes who reached the semifinals in the 2002 Korea-Japan World Cup and the 2006 World Baseball Classic. Winners of first place in classical music competitions such as violin and piano also received benefits. However, popular culture artists are not included in the sports or pure arts categories, so even if they top the Billboard charts in popular music, they do not receive military service exemptions.

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