The South Korean parliament on Tuesday passed a bill to allow internationally recognized K-pop artists as members of the BTS group to postpone their compulsory military service to 30 years.
In the Land of Calm Morning, all able-bodied South Korean men between the ages of 18 and 28 are required to perform military service for nearly two years, as part of the country's efforts to protect themselves, especially from their northern neighbor.
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The amendment to the Military Service Act was designed specifically to allow exceptions for K-pop superstars whose sales and international reach boost the economy.
South Korea will therefore allow students eligible for conscription to defer their service until the age of 28 and has granted exemptions for classical musicians and high performance athletes who have won Olympic medals or an Olympic medal. gold at the Asian Games, as in the case of footballer Son Heung-min, striker for English club Tottenham.
No K-pop star has yet been granted an exemption, but the new bill will ensure that artists recommended by the culture minister can defer their service until the age of 30.
Jin, 27 and Dean of BTS, is set to make a commitment even as the seven-member boy-band rewrite K-pop history, most notably with their new album
Be
released on the 20th. November.
"Pop artists tend to achieve their greatest achievements in their twenties, but many of them have had to pursue higher education to delay their service."
Jeon Yong-gi, instigator of the bill.
Since its inception in 2013, BTS has successfully sparked a global K-pop craze by delivering upbeat, upbeat music, lyrics and social campaigns aimed at empowering young people.
The group recently recorded their first No. 1 hit on the American Billboard with the song
Dynamite
and received a nomination, which is unheard of for this musical genre, at the Grammy Awards.
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Life Goes On
“Pop artists tend to have their greatest achievements in their twenties, but a lot of them had to pursue higher education to delay their service,”
said Jeon Yong-gi, who co-wrote the bill.
BTS producer Big Hit Entertainment did not respond to a request for comment on this legislative change, but Jin and others in the group have already said they will perform their duties as they should.
A poll released last month by local outlet E-Today showed that 53% of those polled supported special treatment for BTS, while 47% opposed it.