[2022 National Audit] Park Bo-gyun "BTS Military Service Issue to Be Resolved Before December"

"Comprehensive Review of Public Opinion Analysis, 20s Male Consciousness, and National Assembly Insights"

[Image source=Yonhap News]

Park Bo-gyun, Minister of Culture, Sports and Tourism, announced that he will promptly finalize the position on BTS's military service issue. On the 5th, during the National Assembly's Culture, Sports and Tourism Committee's audit of the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism, he responded to related questions by saying, "The military service issue of Jin, the eldest member, will be resolved by December, so we will finalize and announce the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism's position before then." Jin was born in 1992. According to the Military Service Act revised in 2020, he has been granted a postponement of enlistment recommended by the Minister of Culture, Sports and Tourism, and his enlistment has been deferred until the end of this year.

Minister Park explained, "Not only is national defense a sacred duty and military service a symbol of fairness, but we are also comprehensively reviewing the fact that BTS has promoted Korea as the vanguard of K-culture and created enormous economic ripple effects, the fairness issue between popular artists including BTS and pure artists regarding inclusion as arts and sports personnel, the performance issues as a complete group if one BTS member enlists, public opinion analysis, the consciousness of men in their 20s, and the thoughts and opinions of members of the National Assembly."

The current Military Service Act stipulates that a person with special skills in the arts and sports fields, as determined by a Presidential Decree and recommended by the Minister of Culture, Sports and Tourism, can be incorporated as arts and sports personnel. However, 'popular culture' is not included as a special skill in the arts and sports fields under the Enforcement Decree of the Military Service Act. Because of this, the issue of fairness toward popular culture artists who promote national prestige has been continuously raised inside and outside the political sphere. Minister Park has maintained a general stance on related questions, stating, "Public opinion is important."

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