AS THE first South Korean artist to reach number one on both the U.S. Billboard Hot 100 and Global 200 charts with the Grammy-nominated single “Dynamite,” BTS has brought Korea enormous prestige and profit. However, despite the group’s outstanding achievements, South Korea’s mandatory military service system can limit the global superstars’ activities for at least two years. While some worry that BTS’s exemption will undermine South Korean men’s sacred duty of military enlistment, many perceive that the current system is discriminating against the popular culture icon, considering their  huge impact on South Korea’s economy and international reputation. 

BTS and military service

   On June 15, BTS members made the surprising announcement that they would go on a hiatus as a group and focus on solo projects. Even though the band has cited mental exhaustion as the primary cause of the break, many experts including Lee Dong-yeun (Prof., Dept. of Korean Traditional Arts Theory, Korea National Univ. of Arts) believe “military enlistment [to be] the biggest factor[1].” Under South Korea’s military service law, all able-bodied men aged between 18 and 30 have to serve two years in the army. As BTS’s oldest member Jin is approaching 30, he has to enlist next year at the latest. Lee Moon-won, a K-pop culture commentator, calls the decision a “logical move” made to sustain each member’s career and prevent BTS from vanishing away entirely once some members begin enlisting in the military[2]. 

Reactions to BTS’s announcement

   Many prominent politicians in South Korea are supporting BTS’s exemption from military service. In a defense subcommittee meeting last November, Democratic Party lawmaker Kim Byung-kee proposed revising military service legislation as the law was created back in the early 1970s, when pop culture artists had fewer opportunities to promote Korea internationally. Recently, independent lawmaker Yoon Sang-hyun proposed an amendment that would allow pop culture artists to serve as art agents, thus demanding from them only three weeks of military training. He reasoned that BTS’s soft power was crucial to elevating Korea’s national prestige, stressing that “BTS has done a job that would take more than 1,000 diplomats to do[3].” In response to Yoon’s proposal, Defense Minister Lee Jong-sup noted the possibility that even if the members joined the military, they could be given the chance to practice and perform together, even at international concerts[4]. 

   Since their  overseas debut in 2014, BTS has generated an estimated $1.5 billion for the South Korean economy in diverse forms, including consumer goods, new jobs, tourism, and exports. The Korean Foundation for International Cultural Exchange found that 7.6% of total international tourists cited BTS as their reason for visiting Korea[5]. From these data, we can see how BTS has brought more attention to and elevated South Korea’s reputation worldwide. 

   In acknowledgement of BTS’ achievements, the majority of the South Korean public is expressing dissent to BTS’s military enlistment. In a recent poll conducted by Gallup Korea, among people aged 18 and over, 60% of men and 57% of women supported Yoon’s proposed amendment to the military service law[6]. Opposition was highest among men in their 40s and 60s, with almost 40% of them opposing an exemption for K-pop artists. However, given that these age groups might not be very aware of K-pop’s global impact, their contention to BTS’s exemption should not fully vindicate the members’ enlistments.  

Discrimination against pop culture artists 

   Korean men with special achievements, like Olympic and Asian Games medalists or globally recognized, award-winning classical musicians, may receive exemptions from enlistment. The justification to their privilege is that they elevated the country’s international reputation with their talents. For example, South Korean soccer player Son Heung-min and pianist Cho Seong-jin both got exemption waivers after winning the 2018 Asian Games and the XVII International Chopin Piano Competition in 2015, respectively. Elites in traditionally revered fields have more lenient enlistment standards compared to pop culture artists like BTS. For instance, South Korean soccer player Kim Kee-hee was offered an exemption after playing for just five minutes at the 2014 London Olympics[7]. Considering how the standard for exemption is excessively high for pop culture artists, the current military service law can be perceived as discriminatory towards pop culture icons, neglecting their past achievements and harming their future careers simultaneously.

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   As the K-wave gains more popularity overseas, the influence and impact of pop culture artists promoting Korea’s reputation increases. Their greater responsibility and positive outcomes must entail rewards. Rather than following the decades-old military service law that discriminates against pop culture artists, South Korea should follow current trends and recognize renowned pop culture icons as legitimate artists.

[1]The Columbian

[2] RTL Today

[3] Reuters

[4] Reuters

[5] Korea JoongAng Daily

[6] Gallup Korea

[7]The New York Times