The members of the famous South-Korean group of K-Pop BTS vont faire leur service militaire, to annoncé leur agence lundi, mettant end à un debate de plusieurs années pour savoir si les stars méritaient une exemption du service obligatoire dans leur pays, la Corée from the south.
“The members of BTS are moving forward with their plans to fulfill their military service,” BTS’s agency Bighit Music said in a statement Monday.
All able-bodied South Korean men under the age of 30 must complete about two years of military service, mainly because the country remains initially at war with North Korea. Refusal to perform compulsory service is punishable by imprisonment in South Korea.
Jin will be the first
BTS has generated billions of dollars for the South Korean economy and the label’s profits have continued to rise despite the pandemic and declining concert numbers. But the prospect of military service is drawing ever closer for members of the group. Jin, 29, who announced the release of her solo album a week ago at a concert in Busan, must perform in December or face jail time.
“As everyone embarks on solo projects, it is the perfect time and the members of BTS are honored to serve” their country, according to the agency’s statement. “Jin will start the process as soon as (…) his solo album is finished, at the end of October,” the agency specifies, while “the other members of the group plan to do their military service according to their own individual plans.” “.
Certain exempt professions
Exemptions from military service are granted to some elite athletes, such as Olympic medalists and classical musicians, but pop stars are not eligible. But BTS benefited from a recruitment law revision in 2020, which raised the age limit for some artists from 28 to 30.
Seoul’s defense minister had said in August that BTS could be allowed to continue performing and preparing for international concerts while fulfilling their military obligations. In June, the septet announced a break as a band to focus on solo projects.
Source: BFM TV
