Bts on break for military service

The issue brings up various issues of a political nature, ranging from the civic duties of citizens to serve the country to what constitutes a contribution to the global prestige of South Korea. years a certain political feud. In 2020 the government of the then president Moon Jae-ina progressive very attentive to the question of South Korean soft power, rewrote the law on military service. The reform was rightly criticized as an ad hoc intervention, as it allowed leading K-pop singers to postpone the maximum age to report to the military service from 28 to 30 years old: Jin, the oldest of the seven BTS members, would have turned 28 in a few days. The solution, however, was only temporary. Over the next two years, several proposals were presented to parliament to recognize pop culture artists as deserving of an exemption, but none of these were approved despite Hybe’s urges in recent months.

Prospects narrowed a lot last March, following the election of the new conservative president Yoon Suk-yeol. The problem isn’t just there growing political polarization which makes it difficult to find a compromise between the conservative government and a parliament with a progressive majority, but also and above all the strategy of the new president who decided to seek the support of young South Korean males. And this, in terms of reforms of the draft law, is a major obstacle.

A male-dominated populism

Although polls report that about 60% of the population would support some form of exemption for BTS, there is an important segment of the population in South Korea that opposes preferential treatment. The latter position is widespread above all among the men under 30which are exactly the demographic category obliged to perform military service and therefore also the most reluctant to accept that someone can avoid it. The obligation to defend the country from threats from the North involves a great personal sacrifice (often poorly tolerated) for young South Koreans, who are forced to interrupt his career for two years right in the bud. For this reason, it is particularly unpopular the idea that someone can escape this obligation that crosses the entire male population.

During the electoral campaign last March, characterized by very muscular tones, Yoon tried to intercepting the vote of young South Korean males disillusioned with the government experience of progressives. By putting this segment of the population at the center of the conservative strategy and electoral proposal, Yoon decided to to tie his government action to the political preferences of young South Korean males.

With a popular approval rate which has been standing for a month now below 30%, Yoon therefore cannot afford to alienate the hard core of his support. For many of South Korean young males, granting the BTS exemption would amount to one capitulation by conservatives in the ongoing cultural conflict in South Korea. With another four and a half years of government to contend with, Yoon can’t afford to become a lame duck.