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South Korea passed a law that will allow members of the K-pop group BTS to postpone their military enlistment until they are 30 years old.
In South Korea, all men who are healthy enough to go must enlist and complete mandatory military service between the ages of 18 and 30. As the service is expected to last up to two years, the final age at which men can enlist is 28.
However, the band’s international success has prompted the country to pass an amendment to its Military Service Law that will allow artists who have had a positive impact on South Korea’s reputation to delay their enlistment for two years longer than average person.
According to Yonhap, the change made means that pop stars can delay their enlistment until age 30 if they have made significant contributions to South Korea’s global reputation.
The delay in the enlistment of an eligible person can only come on the recommendation of the minister of culture.
Discussions in parliament began after BTS reached No. 1 on the US Billboard Hot 100 chart with their song “Dynamite.” The government expects the song to generate up to $ 1.5 billion for the South Korean economy.
In 2018, BTS was honored with an Order of Cultural Merit medal, which was awarded to the group for spreading the Korean language and culture.
BTS’s oldest member Jin will be turning 28 on December 4, which means the amendment was passed just in time to allow him to delay his military service for two years if he so chooses.
At a press conference that marked the release of BTS’s latest album, BE, Jin was asked about the military service to which said, “If there is a call from my country and the time is right, I will accept [the duty] anytime.”
“It is something that all members talk about often, and we all plan to accept military service,” he added.
Before the amendment, only those in sports and classical music could defer or be exempted from military service.
In 2018, Son Heung-min, a 28-year-old footballer for the South Korean national team and Tottenham Hotspur, was exempted from enlistment after being on the team that won in the last Asian Games game against Japan.
His exemption meant that the required two-year enlistment was reduced to four weeks, which began in April this year after being isolated for two weeks. He has since completed it and returned to playing football in the UK.
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