[Reporter’s Notebook] Rising Calls for BTS Drafting: Are K-pop Singers on Five-Minute Standby?

The question of whether BTS will perform at the Saemangeum Jamboree K-pop concert has become a hot topic. Park Bo-gyun, Minister of Culture, Sports and Tourism, left the door open by saying, "Nothing has been decided yet," and Seong Il-jong, a member of the ruling People Power Party, publicly requested the Ministry of National Defense to support BTS's appearance. Among BTS members, Jin and J-Hope are active-duty soldiers.

The agency HYBE expressed clear embarrassment, stating, "We have never been contacted about BTS performing before the event." The members currently serving in the military have been on hiatus for nearly a year. The other members are engaged in individual activities. BTS was not on the original concert lineup scheduled for the 6th. When the concert was postponed to the 11th due to weather and on-site issues, the government formed a task force for artist recruitment. During this process, the idea of 'drafting BTS' emerged to protect the nation's dignity after its fall. The venue was also changed multiple times, with the final decision made on the 8th, three days before the concert. The initial plan was the Saemangeum site, then Jeonju World Cup Stadium, and finally Sangam World Cup Stadium.

The Jamboree was confirmed to be held in 2017. After years of no consultation, the sudden proposal to draft BTS came out of nowhere. It is hard to believe this is a country that has successfully hosted the Summer and Winter Olympics and the World Cup, as the situation is extremely sloppy. The Jamboree, plagued by operational mismanagement controversies, was normalized thanks to generous human and material support from private companies like Samsung.

The event organizers are making every effort to restore their tarnished image externally. One part of this effort is the K-pop concert, the finale of the event. Their desperate stance, risking criticism of a 'total mobilization order,' is somewhat understandable. However, realistically, changing the venue and time just days before the performance makes smooth recruitment impossible. Not even a neighborhood kindergarten recital would be handled this way. There are even remarks like, "Are K-pop singers on a 5-minute standby?"

BTS's Suga recently rehearsed more than 20 times, replicating the actual performance ahead of their world tour. BTS's Jungkook thoroughly prepared for his 30-minute performance at the 2022 Qatar World Cup stage, inspecting the site a week in advance. This is how BTS's globally acclaimed performances are created. However, during the preparation for the Jamboree K-pop concert, there is neither understanding nor respect for the K-pop industry that was painstakingly built. The late Lee Kun-hee, chairman of Samsung Electronics, said in 1995, "Administration is third-rate, politics is fourth-rate, and business is second-rate." Twenty-eight years have passed, but little has changed.

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