K-Pop Star BTS Serves Mandatory Military Service

The news ends a longstanding debate over whether BTS members should be exempt from military service for their contributions to the country’s economy.

Korean law requires all South Korean men to complete at least 21 months of national service before turning 28.

The length of service will depend on individual circumstances, but all participants are required to undergo a physical examination to confirm their suitability for work.

Conscription has been in force in South Korea since 1957 and is compulsory for all males between the ages of 18 and 28.

Conscripted soldiers undergo six weeks of basic training in which they are taught not to retreat.

Training includes physical conditioning, military skills, martial arts drills, and hand-to-hand combat practice sessions.

The majority participate in active duty enlistment. This means you can deploy at any time.

Other activities include social work, research, full-time reservist enlistment and conscription, and industrial engineers.

So far, seven BTS members, dubbed the world’s biggest boy band, were allowed to defer the start of military service until they turned 30 under a special bill passed in 2020. .

However, the oldest member, Jin, turned 30 in December and aims to start the process at the end of this month.

The other six members will follow suit and the band will reunite in 2025.

In a statement Monday, Big Hit said its members were “moving forward with plans to serve in the military.”

They add:

“Group member Jin will start the process as soon as the solo release schedule is completed at the end of October.

“Other members of the group will carry out their military service on an individual basis.”

In recent years, some prominent Koreans have received exemptions for civil service and sports achievements.

Most notably, Tottenham Hotspur’s Heung-min Son, who received a waiver after helping his country win gold at the 2018 Asian Games.

He then undertook a shortened four-week national service while the 2019-2020 Premier League season was postponed due to the coronavirus.

Earlier this month, Military Manpower Administration commissioner Lee Ki-sik told lawmakers that it would be “preferable” for the band members to carry out military service, citing fairness in the country’s military service.

This was because the Defense Minister suggested that BTS might be able to perform abroad while serving in the military if they wished.

band division

In June, the band confirmed they were taking a temporary hiatus to pursue a solo career.

At the annual FESTA dinner, group member RM said: “

“You have to keep making music and keep doing something.”

However, despite the split, the band assured fans that this would only make them stronger.

J-Hope said, “We need to spend some time apart to learn how to be one again.

“I hope you don’t see this as a negative thing, but as a sound plan. BTS will be stronger that way.”

Since their debut on the music scene, the band has won over 60 awards and holds 25 world records.

In 2020, the band released their first English song “Dynamite”, breaking the record for the most watched premiere on YouTube.

According to recent information forbes BTS has a total net worth of $5.6 billion.

This article was originally Irish sun Reproduced with permission.

first published as K-pop star BTS confirms disbanding to serve mandatory military service