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BTS rekindle debate about S.Korea military service

STORY: Should BTS be exempt from military service?

The K-pop boy band recently announced they were taking a break from live shows.

The surprise decision has rekindled debate about mandatory military service in South Korea,

a country that is setting global pop-culture trends while also facing a decades old Cold War threat.

Military service is hugely contentious in South Korea.

All able-bodied men aged between 18 and 28 are meant to serve for about two years…

as part of efforts to defend the country against a hostile North Korea.

But there have been some exemptions.

For example, Olympic medal winners or prize-winning musicians can be allowed to delay or shorten service.

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Under a 2019 revision of the law, globally recognized K-pop stars are allowed to put off their service until the age of 30.

Parliament is now debating a new amendment that would allow K-pop stars to do just three weeks of military training.

It’s a particularly pressing issue for the band's oldest member, known to fans as Jin.

The 29-year-old has put off his service for as long as he can and is facing the imminent prospect of a full

stint - meaning two years out of the public eye - when he turns 30.

Yoon Sang-hyun is the lawmaker who proposed the three-week amendment.

He said waiting for the outcome of parliament deliberations has been hugely stressful for BTS members

and is the main reason they are taking a break from performing.

The band cited exhaustion as the reason behind their break.

The Ministry of Defense warned that making pop culture artists eligible for exemptions requires "careful consideration in terms of fairness.’’

A Gallup poll in April showed nearly 60% of South Koreans supported the bill exempting globally successful K-pop stars from full military service, with 33% opposed.

K-pop is not the only sector hoping for a change in the rules.

The new administration of President Yoon Suk-yeol is considering exemptions for some engineers and researchers in the computer chip and other tech fields.