Military Service and South Korea

Recently, I started watching K-dramas (Korean dramas) and my favourite right now is 'Extraordinary Attorney Woo'. There is one season so far, and because of its worldwide success, there are talks of a season two. However, one of the main actors in the show, Kang Tae-Oh (Lee Jun-Ho) is due to begin his mandatory military service in South Korea. It brings attention to the issue of military service: whether it should remain compulsory for South Korean men and if exemptions should exist for celebrities.

Military service is compulsory for men and optional for women, and the age of enrolment is between 18 and 30. Kang Tae-Oh is 28 and is reportedly enrolling this August. The period of service is a minimum of 18 months, meaning that he would be unable to shoot a second season of 'Extraordinary Attorney Woo' until February 2024 at the earliest. The service is mandatory because South Korea is technically still at war with North Korea, so the service was initially introduced in 1948 to ensure the population was ready for combat in any circumstances. There have been talks on whether celebrities should receive an exemption from military service, based on their status and contributions to the South Korean industry. This has been raised by the popularity of South Korean septet BTS, with their oldest member Jin turning 30 next year. Therefore, the possibility of allowing prominent celebrities such an exemption has been debated.

The advantages of an exemption would allow musicians such as BTS and actors such as Kang Tae-Oh to continue in their industries and generate money for the South Korean economy. BTS in particular are worth billions to the country, and there are fears that enrolling them in service for 18 months would adversely affect their careers. 18 months is a long period of time to leave a career, and their popularity or interest could wane. BTS are currently taking a break from music, so it remains to be seen whether Jin will be doing his military service. These celebrities would be able to skip the service to concentrate on their careers as well as enhancing South Korea's reputation across the world, which BTS have done in winning awards and being the first Asian band to perform at events such as the AMAs.

The disadvantages of an exemption include the finer details: allowing all celebrities to miss military service would be a way out. It is a rite of passage for South Korean men to do military service. BTS have not argued for an exemption, with Jin saying that 'military service is a natural course' and that he will 'answer the country's call when it comes'. There is national pride attached to the service, and allowing exemptions would perhaps be unpopular with the South Korean population, especially with those who have completed the service. Celebrities who do not complete the service could become unpopular, as they would be viewed as conceited for refusing to do what every South Korean man has done for their country.

Recent news suggests that BTS might be permitted to prepare for performances and international concerts whilst in the military, as it is in the national interest to keep their career going. I think that it is difficult for South Korea to make any decisions regarding conscription, as any such decision will be monitored by North Korea. Any efforts to descale conscription could leave South Korea vulnerable politically, as they would be perceiving North Korea as a reduced threat. It is hard to make a decision without fully understanding the volatile history between North Korea and South Korea. There are efforts to 'liberalise' the conscription, with South Korea extending the age from 28 to 30 and reducing the service from 21-24 months to 18-20 months. These small changes highlight efforts to consider that the situation today is not the same as 1948, but the threat is not completely eradicated.

In this situation, I think it would be fair to introduce exemption in rare circumstances such as BTS, but the members seem keen to complete the service. The band is highly valuable to the country and their future should be considered carefully by the South Korean government. Kang Tae-Oh is slightly different; whilst he is a K-actor, granting him an exemption allows every male K-actor under 30 the chance to skip service. One option is for South Korea to implement exemptions in certain circumstances, and celebrities can put in applications to be considered for exemption. However, BTS' willingness to serve will reduce the chances of an exemption scheme, as they are the most high profile celebrities. If they can serve, there is not a good enough reason for anyone else not to.

I believe it is most likely that celebrities will complete mandatory service but be permitted to conduct activities for their career at the same time. With BTS potentially having time to practice for performances whilst in service, other celebrities may be afforded the same discretion, being able to shoot episodes or record music.

Either way, it will be interesting to see how the rise of prominent K-celebrities will impact conscription for men in South Korea.

#conscription #mandatory #nationalservice #southkorea #bts #extraordinaryattorneywoo #kangtaeoh #jin

*For more information: https://www.rte.ie/entertainment/2022/0801/1313323-bts-military-service-nixers-a-possibility-minister/ 
*Header photo obtained from: https://kpophit.com/bts-is-the-only-idol-group-that-debuted-in-2013-and-is-still-active-kpophit/ all rights reserved