South Korea has introduced new legislation to allow members of K-pop band, BTS, to delay their enlistment into the military for two years.
One of the band’s seven members, Kim Seok-jin, whose stage name is Jin, turned 28 last Friday. Previously, all South Korean men who are healthy enough to enlist are required to complete two years of mandatory military service by the time they are 30. This means that the latest men can enlist is when they turn 28.
Jin has publicly spoken about the importance of military service. In 2019, he said: “As a Korean, it’s natural. And some day, when duty calls, we’ll be ready to respond and do our best.”
The National Assembly of South Korea have now passed a bill that will allow globally recognised pop culture artists to postpone their mandatory enlistment. Pop stars will be able to delay their enlistment until the age of 30 if the culture minister recognises them as having elevated the country’s reputation on the global stage.The legislation has been dubbed the ‘BTS Law’.
Jeon Yong-gi, a member of the Korean Democratic Party, said: “For the sake of fairness, we are not talking about exempting them from their duty, but pop musicians and artists like BTS – their careers can blossom in their 20s. We cannot let military duty block their way at the height of their careers.”
BTS made history this year as the first Korean artist to top the Billboard Hot 100 chart. ‘Dynamite’ debuted at number one on the chart when it was released in August. As of 1 December, it was still ranked at number three.
Their new song, ‘Life Goes On’ also debuted in the top spot. It broke another record for being the first song predominantly sung in Korean to reach number one. The song was streamed 14.9 million times in the US the week it was released.
Jin is the oldest member of the band, but Suga will also turn 28 on March 9, 2021.
Sixty-two countries have mandatory military service. Thirty-one of these are longer than 18 months, which includes South Korea.
K-Pop fans around the world are celebrating the new legislation. BTS’s fanbase is millions strong and call themselves ‘the ARMY’. ARMY stands for Adorable Representative M.C for Youth. They have started a number of petitions online to exempt BTS from conscription or allow all seven members to serve together. However, other petitions have surfaced arguing that BTS should have to serve as normal.
In South Korea, there are already some exemptions in place. Top athletes, such as Olympians or Asian Games medalists, are excused from military service for enhancing the reputation of Korea. Some classical and folk musicians can also receive draft exemptions if they win certain awards.
Tottenham Hotspur striker, Son Heung-min, famously avoided military service by winning the gold medal in soccer at the Asian Games in 2018.
For many years, fans have argued that these exemptions should be extended to include pop musicians. Song Kyung-taek won a speed-skating gold medal in the 2007 Asian Games which excused him from military service. He agrees that “members of BTS should also get the exemption”.
He said: “When South Koreans go abroad, we can mention BTS to explain where we come from.”
Noh Woong-rae, a senior staff member in the governing Democratic Party said: “It’s a sacred duty to defend our country, but that doesn’t mean that everyone has to carry a weapon.”