"The law is not absolute": Fan lists six reasons why BTS should be allowed exemption from military service

The popular K-Pop group BTS and South Korea's compulsory military service requirementts have been a topic of significant debate and discussion for a few years now. While most male citizens of the nation are obligated to serve about two years as part of the military, some are exempt under the South Korean Military Service Act.

While the Act currently exempts only Olympic level athletes and globally renowned artists like pianists, ballet dancers, and violinists, several sections of society believe that certain K-Pop artists, who have contributed to the enhancement of South Korea’s status and value globally, like BTS, should also be exempt.

To discuss this, an amendment to the Military Service Act was proposed, which would allow members of BTS, and some other k-pop groups, to be exempt from signing up. For now, BTS has only deferred their enlistment by two years.

Unfortunately, when the passing of the bill was discussed, the Korean National Assembly failed to reach a verdict for an amendment in the Military Service Act, which would exempt Korea’s pride, BTS, from conscription. While millions of fans of the popular band await the final result with bated breaths, some have come forward to share their perspective.

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Die-hard BTS fan presents a well researched argument as to why the band should be exempt from Military service

On November 26th, a netizen claiming to be a discharged soldier discussed BTS's military exemption. He gave the following six reasons for asking the national legislature to broaden the military exemption statute to include prominent cultural acts such as BTS.

He wrote in his post on the online forum Pann Nate (translated from Korean and abridged):

1. The current military exemption act was passed in 1973. Increasing national stature and dignity held greater importance in our society back then, and we had different social norms. This necessitates amending the criteria for 2021. For example, the existing law allows winners of 'The Seoul International Dance Competition' and other 'international' competitions to work. People are spared from mandatory military duty, but the broader public has no idea who they are or what they did.

2. Some would argue that certain exemptions should be eliminated entirely for the sake of justice. However, I oppose this attitude because the law's hidden goal is to prevent talent leakage to other countries as a result of mandatory service. People might question what the winners of an "international" competition did to boost their country's prestige by winning, but no one would question Olympic medalists. To put it another way, the standard should be reconstructed to reflect new societal consensus.

3. The law is not absolute. We collectively enacted that law in the first place, so why can't we amend the current law?

4. According to a survey of foreigners conducted in 2019, BTS has done a lot to raise awareness of Korean culture, and popular culture is the number one factor influencing the national image. Only 3.1 percent said sports and 1.5 percent said pure art, while 38.2 percent said popular culture and K-pop influenced Korea's image. The discussion at the National Assembly is hampered, in my opinion, by bias against idols, not by how much the person influences national prestige.

5. Fans might feel other labels are using BTS' clout for exemptions. But this is only half true. Do you think other labels are lobbying for BTS' exemption independently? Big Hit can't publicly announce that they are supporting this amendment as it may discredit BTS' answer that they would carry out the duties when they are called.

6. Of course, there are some obstacles to the amendment being passed. Older generations may hold an anti-idol attitude, and most males are unconcerned with exemptions. I also saw the Ministry of National Defense cite a reduction of soldiers as one of the constraints, which I believe is absurd. Extending exempt personnel to a few well-known artists isn't the root of the army shortage. This is owing to a low birthrate, which will require another government strategy to solve.

The fan’s evidently well researched and planned argument has won many hearts online, with ARMY members across the globe sharing his post. One hopes that the fan’s article reaches those in charge, bringing much-needed changes to compulsory military service rules in South Korea.