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K-pop powerhouse BTS didn’t get one, star footballer Son Heung-min did: South Korea grants limited exemptions from military service and for the first time eSports players can earn one.
For South Korean men, winning gold in any sport at the Asian Games opening on Saturday in Hangzhou comes with an automatic exemption from 18 months in the army. This year eSports is a medal event for the first time, meaning South Korea’s top players including team captain Lee “Faker” Sang-hyeok have double the incentive.
Typically granted to elite athletes or classical musicians on the basis of promoting national prestige, the exemptions are highly sought after.
Fewer than 100 exemptions for “arts and sports” were handed out last year, official statistics show.
They are also controversial.
South Korean skipper and Spurs striker Son avoided full military service after the national football team won gold at the 2018 Asian Games.
But despite generating billions for the economy and helping propel K-pop to a global audience, megastars BTS were not deemed eligible. Two members, Jin and J-Hope, are currently serving in the military and another, SUGA, was due to enlist on Friday, according to their agency HYBE.
When the country was mulling military exemptions for K-pop stars, specifically so that BTS’ progress would not be interrupted, about 33 percent of the public opposed the idea, according to a 2022 Gallup survey.
The move reignited the debate over the exceptions with fans of the K-Pop band taking to social media to say, “If BTS didn’t deserve to get exempted, no one does.”
However, there were others who backed the decision and were ‘glad’ that BTS wasn’t given the ‘favour’ citing ‘pressure’ from politicians and government officials. One fan posted, “I’m actually glad BTS didn’t get exempted cause I cant imagine how pressured BTS would’ve felt if govt did exempted them. The govt would’ve used them for their mess up every now and then.”
Another said, “BTS are already a political soft power, an exemption would’ve put in the government’s debt.”
For South Korean men, winning gold in any sport at the Asian Games opening on Saturday in Hangzhou comes with an automatic exemption from 18 months in the army. This year eSports is a medal event for the first time, meaning South Korea’s top players including team captain Lee “Faker” Sang-hyeok have double the incentive.
Typically granted to elite athletes or classical musicians on the basis of promoting national prestige, the exemptions are highly sought after.
Fewer than 100 exemptions for “arts and sports” were handed out last year, official statistics show.
They are also controversial.
South Korean skipper and Spurs striker Son avoided full military service after the national football team won gold at the 2018 Asian Games.
But despite generating billions for the economy and helping propel K-pop to a global audience, megastars BTS were not deemed eligible. Two members, Jin and J-Hope, are currently serving in the military and another, SUGA, was due to enlist on Friday, according to their agency HYBE.
When the country was mulling military exemptions for K-pop stars, specifically so that BTS’ progress would not be interrupted, about 33 percent of the public opposed the idea, according to a 2022 Gallup survey.
The move reignited the debate over the exceptions with fans of the K-Pop band taking to social media to say, “If BTS didn’t deserve to get exempted, no one does.”
However, there were others who backed the decision and were ‘glad’ that BTS wasn’t given the ‘favour’ citing ‘pressure’ from politicians and government officials. One fan posted, “I’m actually glad BTS didn’t get exempted cause I cant imagine how pressured BTS would’ve felt if govt did exempted them. The govt would’ve used them for their mess up every now and then.”
Another said, “BTS are already a political soft power, an exemption would’ve put in the government’s debt.”
