S.Korea mulls public survey to decide on BTS' military service exemption

The issue of allowing K-pop megaband BTS to fulfill alternative service to active military duty resurfaced again on Thursday, with government officials considering a public survey to help them decide. 

The country’s Defense Minister Lee Jong-sup told lawmakers during a National Assembly briefing that he had ordered officials to implement such a survey.

Later in the day, however, his ministry clarified in a statement that Lee ordered officials to examine whether a survey is needed, rather than launch it immediately.

The statement stressed that if such a survey is carried out, it would be done by a third-party organization to ensure fairness.

Lee said the ministry would consider a wide range of factors such as the band's economic contributions to the country, and how the alternative service would affect the overall national security interest. 

Jin is the oldest member of BTS and faces enlistment in December when he turns 30 if the relevant laws are not revised. 

South Korea is still technically at war with North Korea and all able-bodied men are required to serve in the military for about two years. 

The South’s armed force is facing a manpower shortage due to rapidly declining birth rates. 

The ruling party largely believes that the government should waive mandatory military service for BTS members based on their contribution to the economy. 

Park Hyung-joon, the mayor of port city Busan, is among the fiercest champions of the exemption. 

The city government announced on Tuesday that it had held an inspection meeting with related organizations in preparation for the BTS concert to promote the 2030 Busan World Expo.

Sung Il-jong of the People Power Party, who serves as an executive secretary for the parliamentary defense committee, proposed an amendment to a bill in November last year that extends the military service exemption to prominent pop artists, beyond the current exempted category of Olympic medalists and award-winning classical musicians. 

But the left-leaning opposition party is mostly against such a revision to the enlistment bill. 

Jeon Yonggi of the Democratic Party criticized the proposal as compromising national security principles based on a public opinion survey, which he calls absurd. 

Write to Bum-Jin Chun at forward@hankyung.com
Jee Abbey Lee edited this article.