Military-duty exemption for K-pop idols? South Korean minister supports review

With BTS singer Jin slated to report for military service soon, fans are worried over whether his absence will loosen the South Korean boy band's hold on music charts worldwide.Mr Noh Hyeong-ouk, minister in the Office for Government Policy Coordination, raised such hopes on Oct 18 when he noted that a review is needed to determine if K-pop stars should fulfil a military stint, reported Korea Times.Under South Korean law, military duty is mandatory for males.

Mr Noh's comments come after other officials said recently that existing exemptions would not be widened beyond prize winners of certain contests, mostly Western classical and Korean traditional music.Mr Noh believes a review is helpful, given the fact that K-pop icons, such as BTS, are earning prestige for the country by conquering charts worldwide and also boosting Seoul's tourism appeal.

Son Heung-min, who is exempted after South Korea won the Asian Games football gold medal last year, arguably does more for the country's image as a player with English club Tottenham Hotspur. Other politicians have also lobbied for changes which, if they come about, will please BTS fans who have taken note of the threat from new boy band SuperM.But the devil is in the details, with netizens asking how the criteria for exemption would be decided to make it fair for all K-pop outfits.

I wonder what these KPop Singers look like with a standard military haircut. Decent? Yeah, that’s probably right.

No.

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