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"If BTS Enlisted, Others Should, Too."

Added 2024-05-03 03:58:08 +0000 UTC

A popular news story on NAVER reports that military exemptions for sports and arts figures, including K-pop groups like BTS, might be eliminated. A government official praised BTS for enlisting in the military, saying it set a positive example for fairness in meeting military service requirements.

The head of the Military Manpower Administration discussed plans for a fairer exemption system with the media. However, after BTS members began their military service, the focus shifted dramatically. Instead of increasing exemptions for artists, the policy is moving towards reducing them. The official straightforwardly expressed that if BTS has enlisted, other artists should do the same to ensure fairness.

Source: https://n.news.naver.com/article/214/0001346330?ntype=RANKING

Some things that went on in Korea that some international fans missed during the height of the "exemption talks"

Faker and his teammates received military exemptions after winning gold at the Asian Games, which led to widespread controversy. The public questioned why BTS members couldn't receive similar exemptions.
The Korean public largely supported exempting BTS from military service. Those "BTS must enlist" stories you read on twitter and publications like Koreaboo were not representative of the prevailing sentiment. The government conducted extensive research on this matter, including a nationwide survey and the public thought BTS should be exempted. The challenge was legislative; officials were hesitant to create a law that might allow K-pop companies to exploit a loophole. Officials were pushing for solution. They used the 2 years of delay that BTS was granted to come up with option. Up to the last minute, they were bent on coming up with a solution but BTS beat them to it. Jin announced he was enlisting and so did the rest of the members.
There are some artists, like pianist and classical musicians, who get exemptions even though their impact to Korean economy and culture is way less than that of BTS.