Ever since BTS member Jin turned 27, the military enlistment of this K-pop idol and his teammates were a hot topic of discussion among music lovers from various parts of the world. South Korea passed a bill allowing male entertainers to extend their military enlistment until they celebrate their 30th birthday. It helped the boy group work as a seven-member group for the next two years.
The BTS Law was passed to help make entertainers who have received government medals as a recognition for their domestic and international cultural contributions. Since Jin will turn 30 by the end of this year, K-pop fans are curious if the singer will be exempted from his mandatory military enlistment. The transition committee of President-Elect Yoon Seok Yeol has an answer for it.
Ahn Cheol Soo, who is part of President-Elect Yoon Seok Yeol, recently visited Hybe, and speculations were doing the rounds about an official discussion about BTS' military enlistment. But Cheol Soo did not discuss the boy band's mandatory military service. He told UPI that the new administration would discuss the group's compulsory military service through National Assembly debates. They will discuss the possibilities of exempting BTS from mandatory military service after the President-Elect takes office in May, probably after May 9.
'An Important Duty for Country'
During an interview with Rolling Stone last year, Jin opened up about his mandatory military service. According to him, it is an important duty for the country. The K-Pop group could continue as a six-member team for a while. The singer said he would be sad watching the others work hard. But he will watch them online and cheer them up.
"I do not doubt that the other members will make a good decision because, you know, this is not something that I can tell them what to do. I'll be sad, but I'll be watching them on the internet and cheering them on. [Military service] is an important duty for our country. So I feel that I will try to work as hard as I can and do the most I can until I am called," Jin said.
In South Korea, men should enlist for their mandatory military service when they turn 28. Exemptions are given to athletes who have won medals in Asian Games or the Olympics. K-pop stars were not exempted from enlistment until 2020. With the passing of the BTS Law in December 2020, male K-pop entertainers, who have domestically and internationally contributed to the cultural growth of the country, can extend their military service until they turn 30.
BTS to Perform at Inauguration Ceremony of Next President
The boy group was reportedly gearing up to perform at the inauguration ceremony of South Korea's next president, Yoon Seok Yeol. The event will be held on May 10, and the transition committee is currently discussing the possibilities for BTS' performance. Park Joo Seon, in charge of the transition committee for the President-Elect, dished about the boy band's performance during his appearance on the KBS Radio show, Joo Jin Woo Live, on April 5.
A representative of Big Hit Music denied all the rumors about the boyband's performance at the inauguration ceremony of president-elect Yoon Seok Yeol. The agency revealed that they have not received any form of an invitation to perform at the event.
"The agency also found out about this through the news reports. [BTS] has not received any form of invitation that we know yet," the representative said.
