A majority of Korean males in their 20s show their objection against BTS’s military exemption.
The issue relating to BTS’s military enlistment is the talk of the town in Korea, as the oldest member is to enlist in December as he turns 30. Almost all Korean males have to finish their 2-year military service, within the age of 18 to 28.
According to AP News, On September 1st, the Ministry of National Defense of the Republic of Korea said they might implement a public survey to consider the exemption of BTS’s compulsory military service. However, the survey result is just one of many factors to be considered, apart from BTS’s economic impact, the importance of military service and overall national interests.
After the announcement from the Korean Minister of National Defense, Korean media companies KBC and UPI News immediately conducted a pilot survey on the issue. 800 people participated, with 57.7% agreeing to BTS’s miltitary service exemption while 39.7% against such exemption. Noticeably, the majority of the supporters were females, while up to 63.9% of the opponents were Korean males in their 20s.
This result falls in line with another round of survey earlier this year, when 60% of the result came back showing support for military duty exemption for BTS. In 2020, an independent survey in Korea demonstrated that 48% of the participants were against the military exemption for BTS.
