YEONCHEON, South Korea (AP) — Jin, the oldest member of K-pop supergroup BTS, began his mandatory 18-month military service at a frontline training camp in South Korea on Tuesday as fans gathered near the base to bid farewell to their star. .
Six more younger BTS members will be joining the military in the coming years one by one, which means the biggest boy band in the world will have to go on hiatus, likely for a few years.. Their enlistment has sparked intense internal debate about whether it is time to review the country’s conscription system to extend exemptions to high-profile artists such as BTS, or not to offer such benefits to anyone.
With deputies quarreling in parliament And polls show public opinions sharply divided on offering exemptions to BTS members, the management agency said in October that all BTS members will perform their compulsory military duties. Big Hit Music said that both the company and the BTS members are “looking forward to reuniting as a group again around 2025 following their commitment to service.”
The Defense Ministry said Jin, who turned 30 earlier this month, entered a training camp in Yeoncheon, a town near the tense border with North Korea, for five weeks of basic military training with other new recruits. After drills that included rifle shooting, grenade throwing, and marching practices, he and other recruits would be assigned to Army units across the country.
About 20-30 fans – some of them holding pictures of Jin – and a dozen journalists gathered near the camp. But Jin did not meet them when the car taking him to training camp moved away without taking him out.
“I want to wait for Jin and see him go into the army and wish him all the best,” Mandy Lee from Hong Kong said before Jin entered the camp.
“Actually it’s complicated. I want to be sad,” said Angelina from Indonesia. “Mixed feelings. He has to serve (for) his country.” Angelina, like many Indonesians, uses only one name.
A few dozen fans can be considered a small turnout due to Jin’s immense popularity. But Jin and his management agency had earlier asked fans not to visit the site and notified them that there would not be any special event for the singer, in order to prevent any trouble caused by crowding.
Authorities are still mobilizing 300 police officers, soldiers, emergency workers and others to maintain order and guard against any incidents, according to the military. Strict safety steps were expected as South Korea was still reeling from the devastating Halloween crush In October, 158 people were killed in Seoul.
Hours before entering camp, Jin — whose real name is Kim Seok Jin — wrote on online fan platform Weverse that it was “time for a curtain call.” He posted a photo of himself on Sunday with a military buzz and a message saying, “Hahaha. He’s cuter than I expected.”
By law, all able-bodied South Korean men must serve in the military for 18-21 months under a conscription system created to deal with threats from North Korea. But the law grants special exemptions to athletes, classical and traditional musicians, ballet dancers and others if they win major prizes in some competitions and enhance national prestige. K-Pop stars and other artists are not given such benefits even if they gain global fame and win major international awards.
“Although the BTS members chose to go to the army, there is still some kind of regret,” said Jung Duk-hyun, a pop culture commentator. “Those in the popular culture sector suffer fewer flaws and injustices, compared to those in the pure art or athletic sector. This will likely remain a topic of controversy, so I wonder if it should be discussed continually.”
Waivers or evasion of duties is a very sensitive issue in South Korea, as the draft forces young people to put their studies or professional jobs on hold. Defense Minister Lee Jong-sup and Lee Ki Sik, head of South Korea’s conscription bureau, previously said it would be “desirable” for the BTS members to perform their military duties to ensure fairness in the country’s military service.
Chun In Boom, a retired first lieutenant who commanded South Korea’s special forces, said the government should move to eliminate any exceptions because the military’s shrinking recruitment pool is a “very serious” problem amid the country’s low fertility rate.. He called the discussion about BTS’ military service “unnecessary” because it was not raised by the BTS members, who showed willingness to perform their duties.
BTS was created in 2013 and has a legion of global supporters who call themselves the Army. Its other members are RM, Suga, J-Hope, Jimin, V and Jungkook, the youngest being 25 years old. The group expanded their popularity in the West with 2020’s “Dynamite,” the group’s first English-language song that made BTS the first K-pop act to top Billboard’s Hot 100. The group has performed in sold-out arenas around the world and has been invited to speak at United Nations meetings.
Hybe Corp., Big Hit’s parent company, said in October that for now each member of the band will focus on individual activities scheduled around their military service plans. In October, Jin released the single “The Astronaut”, which was co-written by Coldplay.
Jung, the commentator, said that sold-out projects can give BTS members much-needed time to develop themselves after working together as a group for many years. But Cha Woo-jin, a K-pop commentator, said it’s unclear whether BTS will enjoy the same popularity as the group when they reunite after completing their military duties in a few years.
In August, Lee, the defense minister, said serving BTS members would likely be allowed to continue training and join other non-serving BTS members on overseas group tours.
Cha said that K-pop’s global influence would not be affected much due to BTS’s enlistment because “they look like K-pop but they’re not everything K-pop.” Chung agreed, saying that other K-pop groups like BLACKPINKAnd Stray Kids and aespa can go higher.
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Kim reported from Seoul, South Korea.
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