The topic of military service for BTS members has yet to be discussed at Saturday’s meeting.
During Saturday’s meeting between officials from boy group BTS’s agency HYBE and President-elect Yoon Suk Yeol’s transition committee passed without discussing the group’s possible exemption from military service, it said. said a senior official, while hinting that it could be discussed in the new administration.
There was “no mention of military service,” Ahn Cheol Soo, head of Yoon Suk Yeol’s presidential transition committee, told reporters after visiting HYBE headquarters on Saturday night.
“This is something that should be decided in the new government (Yoon) newly launched, after discussion with the National Assembly”,
Ahn Cheol Soo said, leaving the door open for future discussions.
The meeting with HYBE Chairman Bang Si Hyuk, the man credited with the global success of the K-pop boy group, Ahn Cheol Soo and his team mainly discussed what the Yoon administration could do for the industry entertainment and startups in general. Bang Si Hyuk said the COVID-19-induced pandemic has particularly hurt the entertainment industry.
There has been speculation that Saturday’s meeting could lead to the removal of the biggest obstacle to the group’s global career – compulsory military service. All able-bodied South Korean males are required to serve in the armed forces for a period of approximately two years. Depending on their activities, artists, athletes and other cases can extend their enrollment until the age of 30.
This means that JIN, the oldest member of the group, must enlist by December this year.
There have been discussions that BTS, arguably Korea’s most accomplished pop group in terms of global success, should be given a waiver to promote the country’s image internationally.
Korea’s conscription law grants such exemptions to Olympic medal-winning athletes and recipients of world prizes in classical music and art, but there is no provision for pop artists. More specifically, the clause would allow such persons to substitute their active service with activities in their respective fields; a footballer must continue his football career for the two years and a violinist must continue to perform.
There have been complaints from K-pop fans that even the most accomplished stars cannot benefit from such a clause, unlike classical music and sports artists. During the meeting this Saturday, Bang Si Hyuk told Ahn Cheol Soo that he thinks Korean society as a whole “can be a bit judgmental towards pop culture.”
There is currently a bill pending in the National Assembly which, if passed, would allow pop stars to benefit from such exemptions. The bill failed to pass the parliamentary national defense committee in November, with opponents saying passing the bill would cause controversy for being unfair to young men in other fields.
This law study will take time and the Korean National Assembly must analyze whether or not it is fair to all Koreans.
Journaliste : Shawn
Source : SNS HYBE, Korea herald
