Assembly cites “careful review” as BTS’ military exemption law fails to reach verdict

The Korean National Assembly has failed to reach a verdict for an amendment in the Military Service Act, which will exempt Korea’s pride, BTS, from conscription. On November 25, Asia E’s military reporter Yang Nak Gyu reported on the status and details of the National Assembly’s meeting regarding military laws.

As the discussion is extremely sensitive and multiple viewpoints have to be addressed, the recent meeting was dismissed without reaching a conclusion. Multiple spokespersons and associations also raised points that challenge exempting pop culture artists from enlistment regardless of their contributions.

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National Defense Committee to continue discussing military exemptions for pop culture artists, especially because of BTS

As per Asia E’s report, the latest meeting for an amendment in military exemption failed to reach any conclusion. The topic of discussion was exempting pop culture singers who have contributed immensely to the country’s GDP and popularity overseas. The South Korean Military Service Act currently only exempts athletes with Olympic-level achievements and world-renowned artists such as pianists, ballet performers and violinists.

With BTS’ global popularity and contribution to South Korea’s GDP, opinions vary on whether the K-pop group should be exempt from the military or not. In the latest meeting, multiple council members remained divided on the serious issue.

Seung Chan Boo, a spokesperson for the Ministry of National Defense, mentioned the country’s rapid population decline as the cause of decreasing military service resources. According to Bloomberg's May 2021 report, South Korea’s military is expected to be reduced by one-third of the current 640,000 troops in the next two decades. The numbers are alarming for a country that is in constant war with its neighbor (North Korea).

Not just the military, an idol trainer also predicted that the low birth rate could affect the future of K-pop, too, as it’s becoming increasingly difficult to find trainees.

The Military Manpower Administration added that the inclusion of pop culture singers would require “careful review with relevant ministries”. The criteria for selecting them will have to be intricately discussed, measuring both objective standards and national public consensus.

Back in December 2020, the South Korean government extended the limit of military enlistment by two years for K-pop idols. The amendment came after BTS became the first K-pop artists in history to top the Billboard Hot 100 charts, before the eldest member Jin’s 28th birthday, giving him and the band respite from enlisting at the peak of their careers.

In 2019 alone, BTS brought in $4.65 billion of GDP to South Korea, reported Forbes. While the latest in-discussion amendment is dubbed as the ‘BTS Military Exemption Act’ by several media houses, there has long been a demand (or discussion) of exempting top K-pop idols from conscription.

As varied opinions arose, the National Assembly has decided to hold another meeting to discuss the Military Service Act and its exemptions.

Considering BTS is creating history with a second Grammy nomination and Artist of the Year win at the AMAs 2021, if the group becomes the standard for exemption rules, it might be a long shot before any other group gets relief besides the supergroup.