BTS rekindle debate about military service in South Korea
Skip to main content
  • Home
  • Economy
  • Stocks
  • Analysis
  • World+Biz
  • Sports
  • Features
  • Epaper
  • More
    • Subscribe
    • COVID-19
    • Bangladesh
    • Splash
    • Videos
    • Games
    • Long Read
    • Infograph
    • Interviews
    • Offbeat
    • Thoughts
    • Podcast
    • Quiz
    • Tech
    • Archive
    • Trial By Trivia
    • Magazine
    • Supplement
  • বাংলা
The Business Standard

Monday
August 08, 2022

Sign In
Subscribe
  • Home
  • Economy
  • Stocks
  • Analysis
  • World+Biz
  • Sports
  • Features
  • Epaper
  • More
    • Subscribe
    • COVID-19
    • Bangladesh
    • Splash
    • Videos
    • Games
    • Long Read
    • Infograph
    • Interviews
    • Offbeat
    • Thoughts
    • Podcast
    • Quiz
    • Tech
    • Archive
    • Trial By Trivia
    • Magazine
    • Supplement
  • বাংলা
MONDAY, AUGUST 08, 2022
BTS rekindle debate about military service in South Korea

Splash

Reuters
05 July, 2022, 09:55 am
Last modified: 05 July, 2022, 10:16 am

Related News

  • K-pop's BTS may still be able to perform while doing military service - minister
  • K-pop's BTS may still be able to perform while doing military service - minister
  • K-Pop star J-Hope to make music history at Chicago's Lollapalooza festival
  • Korea, Unicef to support out-of-school adolescent girls in Bangladesh
  • Disney to stream BTS' exclusive documentary series next year

BTS rekindle debate about military service in South Korea

Under a 2019 revision of the law, globally recognised K-pop stars were allowed to put off their service until the age of 30

Reuters
05 July, 2022, 09:55 am
Last modified: 05 July, 2022, 10:16 am
Members of BTS. Photo: Getty Images via NPR
Members of BTS. Photo: Getty Images via NPR

A surprise decision by South Korean boy band BTS to take a break from live shows has rekindled debate about mandatory military service in a country setting global pop-culture trends while facing a decades old Cold War threat.

Military service is hugely contentious in South Korea where all able-bodied men aged between 18 and 28 are meant to serve for about two years as part of efforts to defend against a hostile North Korea.

Over the years particular categories of men have won exemptions - either allowed to put off service for a certain time or allowed to do shorter service - including men who win a medal at the Olympics or Asian Games and classical musicians and dancers who win a top prize at certain competitions.

Under a 2019 revision of the law, globally recognised K-pop stars were allowed to put off their service until the age of 30.

Parliament is now debating a new amendment that would allow K-pop stars to do just three weeks of military training.

For BTS and in particular for the band's oldest member, known to fans as Jin, the outcome of the deliberations in parliament will be momentous.

While the band's management company has long presented the seven BTS members as keen to do their duty, the reality of two years of full-time military service is coming sharply into focus as time ticks by.

Jin, 29, has put off his service for as long as he can and is facing the imminent prospect of a full stint - meaning two years out of the public eye - when he turns 30.

For Jin and his band mates, waiting for parliament to decide has been hugely stressful and is the main reason they are taking a break from performing, said Yoon Sang-hyun, the lawmaker who proposed the amendment to include three-week training for K-pop stars.

"The members cited exhaustion and the need for rest as the main reason but the real reason was Jin's military service," Yoon told Reuters.

The extent to which BTS had raised South Korea's profile around the world through "soft power" should be taken into account when considering their military service, Yoon said.

"BTS has done a job that would take more than 1,000 diplomats to do," he said.

'HARD TIME'
Since their 2013 debut, BTS have became a worldwide sensation with their upbeat hits and social campaigns aimed at empowering youth.

BTS became the first Asian band to win artist of the year at the American Music Awards last year, and they met U.S. President Joe Biden at the White House in May to discuss hate crimes targeting Asians.

Choi Kwang-ho, secretary-general of the Korea Music Content Association, a coalition of K-pop agencies including the band's Big Hit management company, said the wait for a decision was excruciating.

"The young artists have been tortured with hopes that never come true," Choi said.

A Gallup poll in April showed nearly 60% of South Koreans supported the bill exempting globally successful K-pop stars from full military service, with 33% opposed.

The band and their management company have steered clear of the debate but in April Big Hit official Lee Jin-hyung told a news conference in Las Vegas that some band members were having a "hard time" because of "uncertainties" over the parliament debate. He called for a decision.

Jin, asked hours later about Lee's comments, said he was letting Big Hit handle the issue though adding that what Lee said reflected his view.

K-pop is not the only sector hoping for a change in the rules. The new administration of President Yoon Suk-yeol is considering exemptions for some engineers and researchers in the computer chip and other tech fields.

The Ministry of Defence pointed to a constitutional requirement for all citizens to do their duty to defend the country.

"Adding pop culture artists in the scope of art and sports personnel who are eligible for the exemption requires careful consideration in terms of fairness," a ministry official said.

Some young men also wonder about the case for special treatment for BTS.

Seo Chang-jun, 20, said he understood why Olympic winners got an exemption but wasn't sure about BTS.

"The Olympic Games are national events where all Koreans cheer for the same team but not everyone is a BTS fan. Many people aren't interested in them," he told Reuters.

BTS / Korea / Military service

Comments

While most comments will be posted if they are on-topic and not abusive, moderation decisions are subjective. Published comments are readers’ own views and The Business Standard does not endorse any of the readers’ comments.

Top Stories

  • TBS file photo
    Now 99% Bangladesh products come under China’s duty-free offer
  • Photo: TBS
    Production loss feared as zone-wise industrial weekly closure mulled 
  • Representational image. File Photo: Minhaj Uddin/TBS
    LC settlement fell by $1.17b in July

MOST VIEWED

  • "Hothat Shobaike Janao" featured performances by Hothat, The Attempted band, Conlusion, Arekta Rock Band, Owned and Tashfee. Photo: Saqline Rizvee
    An enticing preview of Hothat’s upcoming debut album
  • 'Aat Ta Baje Deri Korish Na': hidden gem of 'Hawa' soundtrack released
    'Aat Ta Baje Deri Korish Na': hidden gem of 'Hawa' soundtrack released
  • Dhanush in The Gray Man. Photo: Collected
    Dhanush officially announces Avik San's return in The Gray Man sequel
  • Peter Jackson. Photo: Collected
    Amazon reportedly wanted Peter Jackson for Lord of the Rings: Rings of Power, then ghosted him
  • Tom Cruise and Val Kilmer. Photo: Collected
    Tom Cruise, Val Kilmer's reunion in Top Gun Maverick is 'too cheap', says Quentin Tarantino
  • Alia Bhatt and Vijay Varma in Darlings. Photo: Collected
    Vijay Varma feared hurting Alia Bhatt in Darlings' physical abuse scenes

Related News

  • K-pop's BTS may still be able to perform while doing military service - minister
  • K-pop's BTS may still be able to perform while doing military service - minister
  • K-Pop star J-Hope to make music history at Chicago's Lollapalooza festival
  • Korea, Unicef to support out-of-school adolescent girls in Bangladesh
  • Disney to stream BTS' exclusive documentary series next year

Features

Safa Shareef’s bridal make-up: Contemporary with a ‘deshi’ touch

Safa Shareef’s bridal make-up: Contemporary with a ‘deshi’ touch

19h | Mode
Infograph: TBS

Why a drastic fuel price hike is dangerous

1d | Panorama
A fuel price hike to fuel agony

A fuel price hike to fuel agony

1d | Panorama
Kamal Uddin Mazumder. Sketch: TBS

Rising foreign debt and balance of payments deficit: Does Bangladesh need to worry?

1d | Thoughts

More Videos from TBS

How Google Maps operates in Bangladesh

How Google Maps operates in Bangladesh

8h | Videos
Is BPC really in loss?

Is BPC really in loss?

10h | Videos
Reasons behind Putin-Erdogan's meeting in Sochi

Reasons behind Putin-Erdogan's meeting in Sochi

14h | Videos
Dr Jamaluddin Ahmed talks about recent fuel price hike

Dr Jamaluddin Ahmed talks about recent fuel price hike

14h | Videos

Most Read

1
Diesel price hiked by Tk34 per litre, Octane by Tk46
Energy

Diesel price hiked by Tk34 per litre, Octane by Tk46

2
Housing projects sprouting up by Dhaka-Mawa expressway
Real Estate

Housing projects sprouting up by Dhaka-Mawa expressway

3
July remittance hits two-year high
Economy

July remittance hits two-year high

4
Infographic: TBS
Banking

Dollar rate will be left to market after two months: Governor

5
Bangladesh to resume talks for Ukrainian wheat import
Economy

Bangladesh to resume talks for Ukrainian wheat import

6
A liquefied natural gas (LNG) tanker is tugged towards a thermal power station in Futtsu, east of Tokyo, Japan November 13, 2017. REUTERS/Issei Kato/File Photo
Energy

Summit proposes long-term LNG supply to Petrobangla

EMAIL US
contact@tbsnews.net
FOLLOW US
WHATSAPP
+880 1847416158
The Business Standard
  • About Us
  • Contact us
  • Sitemap
  • Privacy Policy
  • Comment Policy
Copyright © 2022
The Business Standard All rights reserved
Technical Partner: RSI Lab

Contact Us

The Business Standard

Main Office -4/A, Eskaton Garden, Dhaka- 1000

Phone: +8801847 416158 - 59

Send Opinion articles to - oped.tbs@gmail.com

For advertisement- sales@tbsnews.net