While Culture, Sports and Tourism Minister Park Yang-woo expressed his view that the military service exemption is necessary for the BTS (BTS), which recently topped the Billboard charts, many are opposed to it. Some say that it is not easy to form a consensus among young people, although they acknowledge BTS' achievements in enhancing the status of Korean pop songs.
Also, there is an opinion that the gold medals of the national team athletes, including the Olympics, can be shared by all Koreans, but in the case of BTS songs, there is no guarantee that all people like them, so the standards themselves are not appropriate compared to gold medalists.
However, all members of BTS have said that they will continue to join the army. Considering the situation, it can be said that BTS is in a difficult situation due to the issue of special military service exemption in BTS, which has been raised in the political circle. Against this backdrop, political circles are suggesting that BTS should not comment on his enlistment any longer.
When asked what Rep. Jeon Yong-ki of the main opposition Minjoo Party of Korea thinks about the postponement of military service and special treatment of pop culture artists during a parliamentary audit of the Culture, Sports and Tourism Committee on the 7th, Minister Park replied, "It is necessary to review it proactively." "In addition to pure art and physical education, there are many opinions that pop culture artists should be given special treatment," he said. "I hope they will be treated for military service."
However, Minister Park added, "We need to go through discussions with related agencies such as the Ministry of National Defense and the Military Manpower Administration as well as the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism, and consider public sentiment." As a result, it is expected that the government will actively discuss ways to exempt BTS from military service.
However, some say that they are uncomfortable with the "BTS special" movement. A man who identified himself as a college student in his 20s confessed, "There is a sense of deprivation in itself to talk about military exemption because of its popularity."
He added, "No matter how popular BTS is, the argument for not sending troops for that reason seems to have gone too far." "Some people may not like BTS songs," he said. "For that reason, I think it would be contradictory to treat them the same as the athletes who won the gold medal at the Olympics."
The enlisted trainees are running in place according to their assistant's instructions. [Already Expenditure = Yonhap News Agency]
The enlisted trainees are running in place according to their assistant's instructions. [Already Expenditure = Yonhap News Agency]
Critics also voiced criticism among men who had served in the military. A 30-year-old office worker, identified only by his surname Kim, criticized, "He said he would join the army, but he seems to use BTS only for promoting the party."
In fact, BTS said in an interview with CBS' "Sunday Morning" on April 18 (local time) last year, "As a Korean, military service is natural and I will run when the nation calls me."
Asked if he was worried about the situation in which the team would be disbanded or each person would walk down the road, Jung-kook (real name Jeon Jung-kook, 23) drew the line, saying, "I don't want to think about it in advance." RM (real name Kim Nam-joon, 26) also replied, "We just enjoy the present and do our best."
Meanwhile, Lee Nak-yeon, chairman of the Democratic Party of Korea, said at the party's supreme committee on the 7th, "It is not comfortable for the public to continue discussing the issue of BTS' military service in political circles and it is not something that he wants, so I hope you don't talk too much anymore."
Earlier, BTS members have consistently stated that "military service is a natural obligation." However, political circles have continuously argued that the special cases of BTS's military and women are considered, with ruling party officials at the center of the ruling party.
Rep. Jeon Yong-ki of the Democratic Party of Korea proposed a revision to the Military Service Act last month, which includes measures to delay the military service of pop culture artists after BTS topped the Billboard singles chart.
Noh Woong-rae, a member of the supreme council, also called for the exemption of BTS military service. Appearing on CBS Radio's "Sisajaki Jeong Gwan-yong" the previous day (6th), Roh said, "If the biggest topic is fairness and justice, this could be a representative discrimination issue," adding that pop culture artists should be included in the special list.
Meanwhile, BTS is scheduled to enlist his eldest brother Jin (Kim Seok-jin, 28), who was born in 1992. Each member should then serve in the military in the order of Suga (Min Yoon-ki, 27), RM (Kim Nam-joon, 26), J-Hope (Jung Ho-seok, 26), Jimin (Park Ji-min, 25), V (Kim Tae-hyung, 25), and Jung-kook (Jeon Jung-kook, 23).
