Achievements Do Not Make BTS Free From Military Service

JAKARTA - Fate is unknown, as well as the K-pop group Bangtan Sonyeondan or BTS. In recent years, the name of this group has appeared everywhere. Starting from songs, videos, television shows, to their latest advertisement with a startup in Indonesia. Their echo doesn't stop.

The success of BTS, which has touched Uncle Sam's country, deserves thumbs up. Starting from the Billboard Music Awards, this group has often been nominated for awards in the United States. They have already explored the Grammy Awards, until recently, the Grammy Museum announced that it would keep the clothes BTS wore when attending the 2019 Grammy Awards.

(1) BTS's Grammy Tuxedos on display at the Grammy Museum 😍😍Via 韩国 me2day pic.twitter.com/afTWTgFtIt

- September🥀 (@__ WildRose2__) November 19, 2019

All the achievements that BTS have made were mentioned as going to exempt them from military service. Moreover, they are considered to have brought the economy and the name of South Korea soar. But as it turns out, K-pop artists and directors are not among those exempted from military service.

The first military exemption was made by former President Park Chung Hee in 1973 so that athletes could focus on winning medals for the country. This rule applies to Son Heung Min, a Tottenham Hotspur player after defeating Japan in the Asian Games soccer final. There is also Lee Jung Hoo, a baseball player who participated in the 2018 Asian Games.

[# 2019BTSFESTA] 📍610FAMILY PORTRAIT # 3 (https://t.co/h1aPIyN5GC) # 방탄 연대기 #DNA #MICDrop # 고민 보다 GO #FAKE_LOVE # Airplane_pt2 #Anpanman #IDOL pic.twitter.com/i0oinhxSUc

- BTS_official (@bts_bighit) June 10, 2019

This news has been confirmed by the Korean Government. To Yonhap News, Culture Minister Park Yang-woo said, "For the case of BTS, I wish I could allow exemptions for those under a certain standard, but the Military Manpower Administration and the Ministry of National Defense tend to minimize the scope of freedom."

Park Yang-woo explained, it is difficult to give criteria (military exclusion) for artistic culture and similar popularity compared to classical arts and sports. There is no specific line that determines the military exemption rules for musical arts. This means that it is very likely that Jin and Suga, BTS personnel, will enter military service because next year they will be 28 years old.

Military service is carried out for men of South Korean nationality aged 18-35 years with a compulsory age of 28-30 years for one year and eight months.