The fairness of South Korea’s military service exemptions for artists and athletes has once again come under scrutiny.
During the National Assembly audit of the Military Manpower Administration on October 20, Seong Il-jong, a member of the National Defense Committee from the People Power Party, brought up the issue while citing BTS, arguing that “a simple amendment to the enforcement ordinance could have exempted them from military service.”
Under current military law, the arts and sports personnel system allows individuals who achieve outstanding results in the fields of art or sports to serve alternative forms of duty instead of enlisting in active service. Introduced in 1973, the policy currently applies to those who win a top-three Olympic medal, a first-place finish at the Asian Games, or a top prize at certain international or domestic art competitions recognized by the Military Manpower Administration (MMA).
During the hearing, Seong asked MMA Commissioner Hong So-young, “If someone wins a Nobel Prize — whether it’s in literature or chemistry would they receive a military exemption?” Hong replied simply, “No.”
Seong then criticized the inconsistency of the system: “Even if someone wins globally prestigious awards such as the Grammy, Billboard Music Award, or American Music Award, they do not qualify for exemption. Yet, in the past decade, over 210 individuals have received special exemptions for winning so-called international competitions that exist in name only.”
Out of the 35 art competitions currently recognized for the arts exemption, 11 are hosted domestically, and five of them are local events in which all participants are South Korean nationals.
Seong continued, “If globally recognized artists like BTS, who have generated an estimated 56 trillion KRW (about 40 billion USD) in economic impact for South Korea, are not exempted from service, yet others who contribute little to the nation’s global standing are, how can the public view this as fair?”
In response, Commissioner Hong acknowledged the criticism and stated, “We will work closely with the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism to review and improve the system,” expressing agreement that the policy’s fairness needs to be reexamined.
The debate has reignited national discussion over Korea’s controversial military exemption system — a system that continues to divide opinions between those demanding equality in service and those emphasizing cultural and economic contributions from figures like BTS.
Sources: Daum
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