BTS has just recently broken another record - they are the first K-pop artist to ever chart at number one on the Billboard Hot 100 charts. The boys received recognition for their amazing feat and even got a congratulations message from the President and Former Prime Minister of South Korea!
It appears after BTS's continuous string of achievements, the Korean government is pushing to revise the military service act to allow certain K-pop artists to postpone their mandatory military service.
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According to MBC's "Newdesk", the Korean government is now pushing to make artists with three years of experience as culture artist be able to qualify for postponement as a reward from the government for their merits in spreading Korean culture abroad. This will apply to artists with high economic and cultural contributions to the country and allow them to promote South Korea for a longer period of time.
The proposed bill states that "Individuals who have shown an outstanding influence in contributing to the betterment of the nation in the field of culture and arts, are recommended by the Minister of Culture, Sports, and tourism" will be allowed to postpone their enlistment. It also states it will allow "Individuals who have worked in the culture and artist fields for more than three years, have remarkable contributions to raising the national status, and have been acknowledged by the government for their merits will be permitted to postpone their enlistment."
It is stressed that they will not be exempted completely, but just have their mandatory military enlistment period postponed. This was done out of consideration for those who claim the revision is giving celebrities special treatment.
Previously, only those pursuing postsecondary education, men in the process of completing a course in a training institution, and athletes who elevate the national reputation are able to qualify for their mandatory military service to be postponed.
All of the BTS members except for Jungkook are enrolled in postsecondary education programs, which means they could evade their mandatory military service until they are 28 years old. However, Jin, the oldest member of BTS, will be turning 28 this December.
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If the bill is passed and the Military Service Act is revised, K-pop artists who quality for said merits could postpone their military service until they are 30 years old. With Jin's mandatory military enlistment, fans are hoping the bill gets passed and approved soon to allow Jin two more years of promotion with BTS.
BTS fits the bill for the requirements needed to be exempted if the bill gets approved. In 2017, the Soeul Metropolitan Government credited BTS for the recovery of Seoul's tourism industry, bringing in an average of 790,000 tourists to Seoul annualy. In 2019, it was revealed that BTS economic effect on South Korea is estimated to be over $4.65 billion every year, ammounting to 0.3% of the country's GDP.
In 2018, they were credited as a key part of boosting global music sales in the country. Their achievements have been recognized by the government in the past - they are the youngest ever recipients of th Order of Cultural Merit from the President of South Korea, and were awarded for their contributions in spreaking Korean culture and language around the world.
The government is considering widening the scope of who gets to postpone their enlistment by not only including K-pop artists but also for active E-sports players.
