Calls grow for BTS to defer or skip military service

South Korean boy band BTS at the Grammy Awards in Los Angeles in January this year.
South Korean boy band BTS at the Grammy Awards in Los Angeles in January this year. PHOTO: AGENCE FRANCE-PRESSE

SEOUL • Calls are mounting within South Korea for members of mega-band BTS to be granted alternatives or delays to mandatory military service, with some lawmakers and fans arguing they are already doing plenty for their country without wearing a soldier's uniform.

By law, all able-bodied men in South Korea between the ages of 18 and 28 must serve in the military for roughly two years as part of the country's defences against North Korea.

The band's eldest member, Jin, is 27 and will be required to sign up by the end of next year. The other six members will reach the age of conscription over the next few years.

In the past, South Korea has granted exemptions to high-profile athletes such as Tottenham Hotspur forward Son Heung-min, as well as classical musicians such as award-winning pianist Cho Seong-jin. To date, there have been none granted to K-pop stars.

"Not everyone has to take up a rifle to serve the country," Mr Noh Woong-rae, a senior member of South Korea's ruling Democratic Party, told a party meeting on Monday in comments that received widespread media coverage.

Mr Noh suggested BTS members could work as ambassadors in their overseas travels to promote a group of islets at the centre of a territorial dispute with Japan.

His comments follow a proposal by fellow party member Jeon Yong-gi last month to revise the law to allow some K-pop stars to delay their service until the age of 30.

"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 twenties," Mr Jeon, who has the backing of a dozen lawmakers, told Reuters.

"We cannot let military duty block their way at the height of their careers," he said.

The public also appears to support special treatment for the band, which have just become the first South Korean group to reach No. 1 on the United States Billboard Hot 100 singles chart and have a massive global fan base.

In a Sept 21 survey by South Korean news website Kuki News, 31.3 per cent of respondents believed the band should not have to complete their military service, while another 28.6 per cent supported postponement. About 30.5 per cent supported normal military service.

The group's label, Big Hit Entertainment, declined to comment.

Individual members have previously said they are willing to complete their service.

"Military service is the natural duty and when duty calls, I will respond any time," Jin told a news conference in February.

REUTERS

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A version of this article appeared in the print edition of The Straits Times on October 09, 2020, with the headline Calls grow for BTS to defer or skip military service. Subscribe