Discussions On Military Service Exemption For Pop Culture Artists Become Silent Following BTS’s Enlistment
After BTS enlisted, military service exemption for pop culture artists is no longer a hot topic to discuss
On December 12th, all seven members of BTS finally went on a hiatus after Jimin and Jungkook enlisted as active soldiers. Despite getting involved in the military service exemption controversy, they kept their promise to fulfill their duty and respond to the call from the country at any time. In the end, the discussion on a military service exemption for pop culture artists, which once caused a stir in the political world, has cooled down.
The discussion on a revision of the Military Service Act centering on BTS was carried out in two stages. First of all, it was the amendment to delay BTS’s enlistment period. At the recommendation of the Minister of Culture, Sports and Tourism, BTS members were allowed to delay their military service call until the age of 30. It was because BTS received the Hwagwan Order of Culture Merit in 2018.
Up to that point, there were no major problems. However, controversy over fairness broke out when the second revision, which suggests a military service exemption for pop culture artists, including BTS, by allowing them to do alternative service as arts personnel, was proposed in June 2021. Problems arose with the special criteria to include the Grammy Awards that BTS won as recognition to get military service exemption. It is because this criteria is only for BTS, not for all pop culture artists. Later, the ruling and opposition parties had a fierce confrontation. In November of 2021, the National Assembly suspended all discussions on BTS due to the intensifying controversy over fairness raised by young people. However, in 2022, politicians suddenly brought up the issue.
However, discussions on the military service exemption for pop culture artists have been quiet ever since Jin entered the army.
A K-pop official pointed out, “It is clear that BTS was used as a card by the politicians to divert public opinion. They set their goal to quickly pass the bill for popular figures like BTS, but it turned out that it was practically a law only for BTS”. Still, the music industry agrees that the military service law should be fair for other artists aside from pop culture artists. Most insiders believe that discussions regarding military service exemptions for popular culture and arts people have practically come to an end.
Source: Daum
