And the debate about BTS’ military exemption continues! More than two years have passed since the debate started, but no conclusion has been reached. With the boy group being given a two year extension once, it is yet to be seen whether they are eligible for an exemption or not.
The debate has become even more crucial with BTS’ oldest, Jin, approaching 30 at the end of this year. As per the last update, the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism’s Park Bo Kyun promised during the National Assembly’s parliamentary inspection of the administration that a decision surrounding BTS’s military service will be made by December 2022.
Following this, on October 7 KST, members of the National Defense Committee of the South Korean National Assembly met with Commissioner Lee Ki Shik of the Military Manpower Administration in order to discuss the issue.
As per Korean media portals, an assemblyman of the Democratic Party of Korea was in favour of granting BTS exemption, even comparing the group to the Beatles. “If we think about the sheer influence that BTS has had in Korea and across the globe, we can see that this group has already contributed much more in terms of influence for South Korea, more than what they would contribute through approximately two years of mandatory military service,” he stated.
However, assemblyman Han Ki Ho of the People Power Party was strongly opposed to it. Using BTS star Suga‘s lyrics to prove his point he said, “Because there has been so much controversy over this matter, [BTS] even made a song like this. So why is there even a debate regarding this topic in the first place? They themselves say they want to serve in the military.”
In case you weren’t aware, Suga’s solo song What do you think includes the lyrics, “Woo woo, we’ll be sure to go to the military when it’s time, so all the b******s who tried to sell our name to freeload off us, shut up.”
Commissioner Lee Ki Shik also seemed to be on board with not granting an exemption to BTS, saying “There is currently a decline in the number of volunteers who wish to serve in the military. Not to mention, the most important part of mandatory military service is equity and justice. In this regard, I believe that it will be desirable for BTS to carry out their mandatory duties.”
