BTS, ready to fulfill military service 1:23
(CNN Spanish) --
The members of the popular K-Pop group BTS will embark on the South Korean military service, mandatory for all young men who meet the physical and mental health requirements, and are likely to become to reunite as a group only around 2025. Here, a review of the recruitment system of a country always attentive to the threat of its neighbor to the north.
South Korean contemporary culture, from pop bands to Netflix series, has taken the world by storm.
As they break records inside and outside the home, its protagonists face the reality of the law: they must comply with a compulsory military service imposed on men between 18 and 35 years of age that is a minimum of 18 months.
The keys to compulsory military service in South Korea
The number of months of mandatory service depends on the branch of the armed forces in which it is served, according to the CIA World Factbook.
In the Army and Marine Corps, the requirement is 18 months (down from the 24 months young men were previously required to spend in the service, according to a Brookings Institution analysis).
The figure of 18 increases to 20 in the case of the Navy and 21 for the Air Force.
By 2022, the armed forces have nearly 555,000 active duty personnel.
The vast majority, about 420,000, are part of the Army.
There are about 70,000 members of the Navy, including about 30,000 Marines, and about 65,000 people in the air force, according to the CIA.
Women have also served in the armed forces since 1950 and can be in all branches, but service is not compulsory.
By 2020 they represented about 7.5% of the military on active duty.
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South Korea has a strong defense industry.
It manufactures, among other equipment, armored fighting vehicles, warships, aircraft, and artillery.
It also has imported equipment.
Its main supplier is the United States.
There are currently Korean troops deployed in various missions, for example in Lebanon (about 250), in South Sudan (280) and in the United Arab Emirates (170).
It also has some 300 troops in the waters off the Horn of Africa and the Arabian Peninsula.
conscientious objection
In 2018, the Supreme Court upheld the right to conscientious objection to join the Army, ending a decades-long policy of incarcerating those who refused to join the armed forces.
"Refusing to enter the Army due to a religious faith that forbids bearing arms is considered a justifiable reason for refusing service," the court said then, after decades of struggle, especially by Jehovah's Witnesses, to oppose the strict law of military service.
In 65 years, the country had jailed more than 19,000 Jehovah's Witnesses for refusing to participate in the compulsory draft, according to representatives of the religion.
The demographic challenge of recruits
The South Korean military faces multiple challenges, according to expert analysis, and one of them is demographics.
An analysis published by the Carnegie Center forecasts a drop in recruits from 330,000 at the end of 2020 to about 240,000 by 2036 and 186,000 by 2039.
"Thus, the South Korean military will face a growing manpower deficit from the mid-2020s if it intends to maintain a baseline strength of some 274,000 conscripts in its 522,000 troops," the analysis says, a trend that it is also likely to affect the number of volunteers the military can get.
Forces closely linked to the United States
The United States and South Korea have a long tradition of collaboration on military issues.
A 1953 treaty commits the North American country to provide assistance in the event of an attack, particularly from North Korea, and authorizes the Americans to have forces on Korean territory.
In fact, by 2022 there were more than 25,000 US troops in the Asian country.
In addition, the South Korean military has supported the United States in Vietnam, Iraq, and Afghanistan.
South Korea has the status of a major non-NATO ally with the United States, giving it benefits in defense-related business activities and security cooperation.
NATO views South Korea as a partner and the country has participated in the bloc's dialogues, missions and exercises.
The BTS were able to postpone the service
The South Korean Parliament passed a bill in 2020 that allowed pop stars, namely those who "excel in popular culture and art," to defer their service until age 30.
BTS is expected to reunite as a group around 2025, according to BIGHIT Music.
The record label said it has been looking at the best time for the band to do military service, "to respect the needs of the country and these healthy young men," saying the time is "now."
“Group member Jin (who turns 30 this year) will start the process as soon as he wraps up his schedule for his solo release at the end of October.
Then the Korean government enlistment procedure will follow,” the label said.
He added, “Other members of the group plan to carry out their military service based on their own individual plans.”
The country's defense minister said in August that BTS could still perform abroad while serving in the military, the Reuters news agency reported.
With reporting from CNN's Angela Reyes, Chloe Melas, Jake Kwon, James Griffiths, Marian Liu, Yoonjung Seo and Amy Woodyatt.
