59.8% of Citizens Support BTS Alternative Service... Opposition High Among 10s to 30s

Respondents 88.1% Say "BTS Contributes to National Prestige and Cultural Development"

The group BTS was appointed as promotional ambassadors at the 2030 Busan Expo ambassador appointment ceremony held on July 19 at HYBE Corporation in Yongsan-gu, Seoul, and is taking a commemorative photo. [Image source=Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy Reporter Park Hyun-joo] A public opinion survey revealed that 59.8% of the population agrees with converting the military service obligation of the group BTS (Bangtan Sonyeondan) to alternative service. Jin (real name Kim Seok-jin), the eldest member of BTS, was born on December 4, 1992, and must enlist by the end of this year unless the Military Service Act is amended.

According to the results of a public opinion survey conducted by Innertex Systems on 3,004 men and women aged 18 and older nationwide, commissioned by the online media Polinews on the 16th, 59.8% of respondents answered "agree" to the question about "whether to agree to BTS's alternative service conversion." Those opposed to BTS's alternative service accounted for 38.8%, which was 21 percentage points lower than those in favor.

By gender, 57.3% of male respondents and 62.3% of female respondents supported the conversion. By age group, support was higher among middle-aged and older adults, with 63.4% in their 40s, 66.9% in their 50s, and 68.5% aged 60 and above. In contrast, among those aged 30 and under (18-29 age group), opposition was 54.4% and support was 43.6%, and in their 30s, opposition was 50.0% and support was 47.9%, showing that opposition was stronger among those in their teens to 30s.

Regarding "BTS's contribution to national prestige and cultural development," 88.1% of all respondents gave a positive evaluation. Of these, 58.4% said BTS is "contributing very greatly," and 29.7% said BTS is "contributing to some extent."

In a previous survey, 67.5% of respondents also agreed with "BTS alternative service conversion." This was the result of a survey conducted on 2,000 people aged 18 and older nationwide by Realmeter, commissioned by the online media Media Tribune on the 8th. Responses of "disagree" accounted for 31.3%, and "don't know" accounted for 1.2%.

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