The culture minister has recently given an update on BTS' military service, which has been in discussions since late 2021. Keep on reading to know his full statement.
BTS' Military Service Update: Culture Minister Says Public's Opinion Is Important
On July 4, Culture Minister Park Bo Gyun met with reporters at the spokesperson's office of the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism in Osong in celebration of his 50th day of inauguration.
During the press conference, Park shared his position on current issues, including the hotly debated military exemption for K-pop stars like BTS.
ALSO READ: Why Did BTS Military Exemption Suddenly Becomes Hot Topic? K-Media Cite Reasons
"First of all, military service is a sacred duty, true," the culture minister said. He then acknowledged BTS' contribution to promoting Korean culture and boosting South Korea's reputation overseas.
"We have to address the discrepancy between classical and popular arts," he continued, pertaining to the fact that award-winning classical musicians can be exempt from military service under current laws.
Park Bo Gyun went on to say that he believes the public's opinion is of the utmost importance in deciding on BTS' military service and that of other pop culture artists.
READ MORE: BTS' Group Hiatus, Military Enlistment Opposed by Korea Singers Association President
Park then revealed that the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism is gathering various opinions of the people and delivering them to the Military Manpower Administration and the National Assembly rather than taking the lead on this issue.
Meanwhile, a bill to amend the Military Service Act is still pending in the National Assembly. This bill would allow the transfer of pop culture artists in the scope of arts and sports personnel who are eligible for the military exemption.
The original Military Service Act currently exempts culturally impactful artists and sportsmen with exceptional skills, excluding singers.
YOU MIGHT ALSO LIKE: #ProofNo1OnBB200: BTS' 'Proof' Tops Billboard 200 With Highest Group Sales in 2022
In 2018, BTS received the Order of Cultural Merit, becoming the youngest recipient in history. The Order of Cultural Merit is awarded by the President of South Korea, currently Moon Jae In, for "outstanding meritorious services in the fields of culture and art in the interest of promoting the national culture and national development."
However, this does not give them special benefit for military service, and in the case of Jin (the eldest member of BTS), unless the Military Service Act gets revised, he will be eligible for mandatory military service next year. Jin was born in 1992, so his enlistment can only be postponed until the end of this year.
BTS Members' Recent Solo Releases
In other news, a few of the BTS members have recently dropped solo releases amid the group's temporary hiatus.
On June 24, Jungkook released a collaboration with Charlie Puth, entitled "Left and Right," which will be included in the latter's forthcoming album "Charlie." A music video for this track was also uploaded on the same day.
On July 1 at 1 p.m. KST, J-Hope's pre-release single "MORE" from his upcoming solo album "Jack In The Box" arrived alongside a music video. The song impressively shot to the top of iTunes Song charts in at least 84 different countries, including the United States, France, Canada, Spain, and Denmark as of July 2 at 7 a.m. KST.
Moreover, J-Hope's "MORE" MV surpassed 10 million views just within 10 hours and 11 minutes of its release.
For more K-pop news, follow and subscribe to KpopStarz.
KpopStarz owns this article
Written by Maria Scott
