Lawmaker tables bill on alternative military duty for decorated pop celebrities like BTS

SEOUL, Sept. 19 (Yonhap) — A lawmaker from the main opposition Democratic Party on Monday proposed a revision bill aimed at allowing decorated pop celebrities like K-pop superband BTS to perform their military duties through alternative service substitute.

The bill, the fourth of its kind, says pop stars who have received a medal of merit from the government should be given the opportunity to apply for alternative military service.

Under the current Military Service Act, exemptions from military service are only granted to international award-winning athletes and classical musicians for their role in enhancing the country’s standing abroad.

All able-bodied South Korean men between the ages of 18 and 28 are required to do compulsory military service for about two years in a country that faces North Korea across a heavily fortified border.

If the law is passed, BTS members will be able to replace their compulsory military service with alternative service, as they received an Order of Cultural Merit in 2018.

“South Korean pop stars who are active in the international arena make unimaginable economic and social contributions,” said MP Kim Young-bae, who proposed the bill.

“I believe pop stars will make important contributions to the national interest, including promoting a bid to host the 2030 Busan World Expo, by performing alternative military service,” Kim added.

In July, BTS was named PR Ambassador for South Korea’s Expo bid.

According to a Realmeter poll conducted last week, more than 60 percent of South Koreans voted in favor of revising a bill that would allow prominent pop stars alternative military service.