BTS’ military service exemption is opposed by the male-dominated community.
Politicians are getting louder again over the issue of BTS’ military enlistment. When the Democratic Party and the People’s Power reached a consensus over the “BTS military service exemption”, netizens on the opposing side are protesting, mostly on the male-dominated online communities. Aside from the fairness controversy, the problem is the amount of malicious mockery and aggressive comments toward the idol group.
Recently, an article was posted on the online community FM Korea saying, “The next target for military exemption has appeared”. In the post was an article from a specialized magazine with the title, “Korean beef is recognized worldwide, raising national prestige with its taste”. The content of the article is to reflect on the meaning of Hanwoo (Korean beef) Day on November 1st every year, as the excellence of the taste and quality of Korean beef has been widely known through overseas YouTube channels.
The key points here are “the next to be exempted from military service” and “raising national prestige”. As BTS has been considered for military service exemption as they have raised Korea’s honor, some people are making jokes that Korean beef might be the next to get the benefit as it has also promoted national prestige. It is a sarcastic remark aimed at BTS.
The writer said, “Korean beef is an advocate in promoting national prestige and it even has its own anniversary day”, adding, “Military service exemption, let’s get it!!!”. On FM Korea, a representative online community, articles, and comments expressing disagreements on BTS’s military services exemption have recently been uploaded one after another. Responses from overseas netizens about the military service exemption issue from an unknown source were also posted on FM Korea.
In an article, when a netizen mocked, “Using another country’s award and chart to determine your country people’s worth?”, another netizen commented, “Dumb and funny”. BTS has been dominating the “Top Social Artist” category for 5 consecutive years since they became the first Korean singer to win this category at the 2017 Billboard Music Awards (BBMA). The group has also been taking home the “Favorite Social Artist” award at the American Music Awards (AMA) for 4 years in a row since 2018. In addition, they became a “regular customer” on the U.S. Billboard chart, which is recognized as the most prestigious chart in the world. They pointed out, “Why do you use another country (America)’s award and chart to determine your country (Korea) people’s military duty?”
Meanwhile, related legislation is expected to be enacted in April as the National Assembly agreed to speed up discussions on the “BTS Military Service Exemption Law”. The military service exemption system in the field of culture and sports, which was established in 1973, applies only to those engaged in the world of arts and sports. The new law contains the intention that it is not fair for pop culture artists such as BTS to be excluded from the subject of the application.
