BTS Member Jin and HYBE CCO Explain their Stance on Possibility of Military Exemption

By Ilin Mathew
April 10, 2022 13:44 +08

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BTS members are currently busy with the Permission to Dance on Stage concert in Las Vegas. After the second day of the live musical event, they held a press conference with the local media. Key representatives from HYBE attended the event, and they explained their stance on the possibility of a military exemption for the K-pop boy band.

The Military Service Act is currently being revised to allow artists, like BTS, who have contributed greatly to the country's arts and culture to replace their mandatory military service, like arts and sports. The revision deliberated in November 2021 is postponed due to ongoing debates surrounding it. If the Military Service Act does not get revised soon, band member Jin will have to join the army before the end of this year. So, there is uncertainty regarding the K-pop idol's military enlistment.

When the eldest BTS member was asked about it at the press conference, Jin said he had a lot of discussions about the military service with the company, and he has left the decisions to them.

"I have talked a lot with the company about military service. I talked about how I would entrust it to the company as much as possible. I believe what the company has to say is as good as my say", he said.

HYBE's Response

At the press conference, HYBE's CCO Lee Jin Hyeong also said the artists have completely left the military service concerns to the company. They will comply with the company's call, and the firm is currently discussing it. He further said the company would decide about the members' military service after the Military Service Act gets revised. The uncertainty of the military service is causing some difficulties for the artists and the firm, he added.

"We are indeed wary of speaking about this [matter] because we know how important the issue of military service is in Korea. We hope that a decision will be reached on the amendment to the Military Service Act as soon as possible", the HYBE CCO said.

The HYBE CCO then said the uncertainty in the revision of the Military Service Act is affecting the firm and its artists. According to him, the firm and the K-pop idols are looking forward to the policy changes. BTS members are not able to make any plans due to the uncertainty, he added.

Here is the Complete Statement by HYBE CCO Lee Jin Hyeong:

The BTS members have currently left the matter of their military service in the hands of the company. BTS has already conveyed the message multiple times that they will accept the call of duty when the nation calls them, and they have not changed that opinion. However, the policy on military service has changed a little, and as the members are experiencing changes to the Military Service Act that they did not expect, they are currently monitoring the situation while discussing the matter with the company.

The company told BTS that after the new amendment to the Military Service Act was proposed, we were wary of deciding in regards to their military service, and the BTS members maturely accepted this and left the matter in the hands of the company.

To put it precisely, the policy on military service is changing, and the BTS members are indeed having a hard time because it's difficult for them to predict the timing [of their military service]. Since it's difficult for them to make plans, both the BTS members and the company are currently keeping a close eye on the proposed amendment.

Ultimately, we plan to do our utmost so that a decision can be reached that is beneficial to both our society and BTS. As the matter of BTS's military service is something that the entire world is interested in, it appears that the debate [over the issue] is nearing an end both within society and within the National Assembly, so we hope that the issue will be resolved within this current National Assembly. If the issue passes on to the next National Assembly, the debate will continue without any promises, and because the uncertainty [over BTS's military service] is indeed making things difficult, we hope that [the National Assembly] will reach a decision as soon as possible.