All men in South Korea from age 18 and 35 are expected to serve in the military for a period of at least 20 months. Even South Korean celebrities like G-dragon and Taemin also served in the military as the South Korean rarely makes any exemptions.
IMAGE SOURCE: soompi.com
BTS members are also expected to be fulfilling their military service soon despite being the world`s most popular K-pop band. The recent decision of the boy band to take a hiatus had many reasons, one of them being balancing questions related to military service and their solo careers. They announced their hiatus on June 15 during a live stream for the fans. Another reason disclosed was exhaustion faced by the members.
There is an intense political debate in South Korea regarding if the members should be exempted from the military service or not. Exemptions in the past have mostly been due to medical reasons. Another way is by winning an important international award and doing forms of community service instead. There had been some speculation that winning a Grammy this year would have made it possible for BTS to be exempted from military service. Unfortunately, despite being a top-selling artist BTS did not win any award at the Grammys 2022.
IMAGE SOURCE : https://www.nytimes.com/2022/06/14/arts/music/bts-break-solo.html
Military service in South Korea was made compulsory after the Korean War from 1950 to 1953, to make sure that South Korea could be defended against North Korea in the future. The country went through a period of rapid industrialization under military dictatorships. The country later became a democracy in the late 1980s.
Completing military service is still considered very important for a man`s status in work and as proof that he is a South Korean citizen. It is also a requirement in many civil services and corporate jobs. It is also a way through which Korean men form networks and connections throughout their life.
The South Korean government is caught between wanting to keep its soft power interests on one side and national security on the other side. The “Korean Wave” refers to the global popularity of Korean culture in music, movies, television, etc. It is a major source of export income for South Korea. BTS has been leading the Korean Wave for the past few years along with movies like Parasite in 2020 and shows like Squid Games in 2021.
BTS has also spoken during the opening of the UN General Assembly along with the South Korean President Moon Jae-In in 2021. They even appeared in the White House at a summit on Anti-Asian hate. They are also Unicef Ambassadors and with their success in music the international standing of South Korea has also come a long way.
IMAGE SOURCE: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/BTS
According to Culture Minister, Hwang Hee said in a statement that making the BTS members serve in the military ,”It would be a national loss” and a “cultural loss for mankind” if the singers have to “suspend their activities due to the fulfillment of their military service obligations when their achievements in promoting national prestige and their skills are at their peak.”
Many young South Korean men would consider it extremely unfair if there are exemptions while they have to sacrifice two years of their careers and may not even have sufficient money to rely on in the future.
In the past only qualified athletes and classical musicians were allowed to do alternative services in their fields instead of military service of two years and promote the country’s image at an international level. The decision of BTS members` military service still remains highly debatable.
