BTS confirms military enlistment, ending exemption debate in South Korea
- BTS’ oldest member Jin to enlist by the end of the year, after parliamentary debates on whether the group could bypass military service got nowhere
- Agency says K-pop group looks forward to reconvening around 2025 following service commitment, as fans show support
BTS’ oldest member Jin is set to enter the military by the end of this year, followed by his six other band members in due course, the K-pop supergroup’s agency on Monday said, after months of parliamentary debates on whether the stars should bypass South Korea’s mandatory military service got nowhere.
“Both the company and the members of BTS are looking forward to reconvening as a group again around 2025 following their service commitment,” it added.
The current law allows global award-winning athletes and classical musicians recommended by the Minister of Culture, Sports and Tourism to be exempted from active military duty.
But this law does not apply to pop artists, sparking debates in recent years over whether pop culture figures such as BTS’ members who promote the country’s brand image should also receive this benefit.
Bills that would include globally recognised male pop culture artists, like BTS members, in the military duty exemption programme are still pending at the National Assembly and debates on this issue have been sluggish.