There has been a lot of talk regarding BTS's enlistment to the military as service to their country, just as every able-bodied Korean male is expected to do by the age of 30 by law. However, given the long list of achievements and impact that BTS have had both within their country and abroad, there have been suggestions to exempt them from military service as they have immensely raised the prestige of their nation to the rest of the world.

After the huge success of 'Dynamite' back in 2020, which made the group the first-ever South Korean act to reach #1 on the Billboard HOT 100 chart in the US, lawmakers passed a bill to modify the country's Military Service Act and allow some male K-pop idols to postpone their mandatory military service up to the age of 30. This new law is similar to what applies to South Korean national athletes, whereby athletes who win medals in the Olympics or at the Asian Games are eligible for exemption from mandatory military service because their achievements are considered to be a contribution to raising the national prestige of the country. Some classical and folk musicians can also be exempt if they have won certain international awards.

However, the Culture, Sports, and Tourism Minister Hwang Hee feels that K-pop idols who have also won some awards should be exempt as well. At a press briefing early this May, he said, “It’s time to create a system for incorporating popular culture-art figures as art personnel,” according to reports by Yonhap News Agency. Thus, the minister aims to push for a new law through parliament, allowing K-pop stars to serve their country in other ways aside from military enlistment.

Not everyone in the government or in the country agrees with his way of thinking though. 

In a recent official cabinet meeting, Sung Il-Jong, the politician who submitted the exemption bill, presented the argument that BTS has received two big pop awards on the international music scene, namely the AMAs and Billboard awards. The awards were won in the biggest music market and thus brought prestige to their country, and therefore this was something to consider.

However, Kim Yong-Moo, who was representing the side of the Military Manpower Administration, countered this argument by stating that such awards cannot be used as an excuse for exemption. Reason being that such awards are not given based on specific judging criteria but rather by fan votes or, in some cases, album sales. Thus, to him, there is a big difference between such awards and those that are considered and used to give military exemption presently. Basically, the military personnel's official position is that BTS's awards do not carry enough weight to grant them a military exemption.

Looking at what this position by the military personnel may mean, the first thing is that the representatives for the Military Manpower Administration are significantly influential when it comes to such laws and could see to the bill failing to pass and be made into law.

And even if it so happened that the bill did pass and becomes law, if the military side was not in agreement, there could be repercussions in other ways. For example, they could easily deny the party in question any entry into South Korea. This is because the Military Manpower Administration officials have a lot of influence when it comes to issuing visas. The case of Yoo Seoung-Joon can help to understand this scenario. 

Kim Yong-Moo, is also the person responsible for social services, i.e., if someone is exempt from military service, then they are expected to perform some social work as an alternative way to serve their country.

On the side of the general public, some people also don't see the legitimacy of the reasons presented as to why BTS should be exempt from mandatory military service. For example, one reason given is that if the criteria were to go by impact globally, then many other people also would rightfully ask for an exemption, and they give the example of the families that own large corporations like Samsung. Samsung is one of the biggest companies in the world, and it can be said that those running it have had a global impact and helped to enhance the position of the nation.

In addition, some netizens think that the awards being presented as reasons for exemption from military service are only awards and charts made by a private entity in a foreign nation. They feel that popularity abroad cannot be the standard for exemption.

Other netizens speak of the fact that other Korean artists who gained international recognition and fame also served in the military, like Psy, who served twice.

There is no doubt that BTS has achieved great things; the problem with this issue is that there are no clear standards for exemption for K-pop idols, making it difficult for the group.