A bill that allows cultural artists and e-sports players who have enhanced national prestige to delay their enlistment until the age of 30 has been proposed.
The current military service law allows students who attend school for higher education and outstanding athletes to postpone their enlistment, but not pop culture artists. According to this law, BTS’s Jin, who was born in December of 1992, must join the army in December of this year.
However, the revised bill will include that if the Minister of the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism recommends cultural artists who are deemed to have a high contribution, they can apply for postponement of enlistment.
Now, all but one BTS members are attending or have recently entered the graduate school, postponing their enlistment until the age of 28.
“There has been a request from the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism that the enlistment of cultural artists needs to be postponed,” said Rep. Jeon Yong Gi of the Democratic Party of Korea. “We were concerned about the controversy over special favors, but we agreed that we should fully reflect the times.”
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