Japanese Media Surprised To Know BTS Members Must Enter Gas Rooms Without Masks For Military Training
Japanese media showed keen interest in BTS’s military life
On December 17th, Japanese media outlet Nippoin News Network (ANN) reported, “According to the law, Korean men must enlist in the military at sometimes between the ages of 20 and 28. The mandatory military service duration is 18 months for active-duty soldiers, 20 months for the Navy, and 21 months for the Air Force.”
They continued, “In some cases, athletes who win medals in events like the Olympics can be exempted from mandatory military service. However, this does not apply to BTS. BTS received the advantage of delaying their military service until the age of 30 as excellent people in the fields of popular culture. As such, the eldest member Jin enlisted in the military as soon as he turned 30, and younger members also followed”.
Regarding BTS’s military training, the media explained, “BTS members need to complete various types of training, such as entering rooms full of gas without wearing masks”.
They added, “Jin, the first member to enlist, has already been promoted to sergeant, while J-Hope is a corporal. The members’ promotions are fairly fast as they have good physical strengths. The two have also been assigned as ‘special warriors’.”
ANN also delivered information about life in the South Korean army through an interview with their cameraman who already completed military service. The cameraman said, “I enlisted in 2009 at the age of 20 as an active-duty soldier. I served in a unit close to North Korea and spent the last 10 months in the security forces near the Military Demarcation Line”, adding “Although the official wake-up time is 6 a.m., lower-ranking soldiers must wake up earlier than their superiors so I normally woke up at 5:58 a.m.”.
Meanwhile, as Jimin and Jungkook joined the army on December 12th, all BTS members have been on their military hiatus. The group is expected to resume group activities in 2025.
Source: Daum
