The debate over BTS’ special exemption from military service: Is Jin really joining the army in December? (100-minute debate)
Controversy over military service exemption in Korea is heating up again for the world-class group BTS.
As the enlistment notice of Jin, BTS’ oldest member, is just three months away, the controversy over the revision of the Special Military Service Act is rekindling. If the law does not change, BTS members must enlist sequentially from December. The argument that there should be a special military service exemption for BTS for their contribution to national interest and that there can be no exceptions to military service obligations are sharply going against each other.
Is it reasonable that the military service exemption allowed for pure art majors does not apply to BTS, who have achieved achievements such as #1 on the Billboard chart, and winning the American Music Awards? On the contrary, is it fair to receive military service exemptions for enhancing national interests and creating economic effects? Former NIS Director Park Ji-won and music critic Lim Jin-mo will hold a “discussion from both sides of the case” amid the issue of the Military Service Special Act.
Should pop culture also be included in the military service exemption?
According to the current military service law, pure art and sports specialists are exempted from military service if they meet certain standards. For example, Cho Sung-jin won the Hamamatsu International Piano Competion in 2009, and Son Heung-min won the gold medal at the 2018 Asian Games in Jakarta, respectively, which granted them the title of art and sports personnel.
On the other hand, pop culture artists such as BTS cannot receive such special exemption because there is no basis related to their field in the current law even if they “promoted national prestige” that is comparable to those mentioned above. Is the exemption only possible for pure art and invalid for pop culture? Or is it necessary to revise the law in general?
MBC’s “100-minute Debate” will air at 11:30 p.m. today (Sep 20th) under the theme of “BTS Military Service Issue and Politics These Days.”
Source: Daum
