The South Korean government is studying ways to allow members of the popular South Korean group BTS to perform in concerts abroad during compulsory military service in the Asian country.
South Korean Defense Minister Lee Jong-sup pointed to the need to “find a way to give BTS a chance to continue acting in the national interest”.
Lee added that the possible exemption for the K-pop group to conduct their rehearsals and performances abroad should be carried out “without violating the principles of justice and fairness.”
In the parliamentary commission, the possibility of BTS carrying out an alternative social service to military service was raised again, an option that was already proposed by the Ministry of Culture last May.
In South Korea, a country that is technically still at war with its neighbor to the North, the military service, which lasts between 18 and 21 months, is compulsory for all able-bodied males between the ages of 18 and 30.
Jin, the oldest member of BTS, will turn 30 in December, so he should enlist then if there is no legislative reform, which remains stalled due to protests from many groups of young people who have served in the military or are about to. to start it.
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On the other hand, there are many voices that for years have been talking about the need to reform the eligibility system given the weight that phenomena such as BTS have on the South Korean economy.
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The South Korean group announced last June that it was beginning a new stage in which its members would be more focused on personal projects, arguing that so many years of effort in BTS are exhausting them.
EFE
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