The South Korean Parliament passed a bill that will enable the South Korean-pop band BTS and other singers to delay mandatory military service until they turn 30, two years after the required age, The Telegraph India reported.
BTS at the 2017 American Music Awards at the Microsoft Theatre LA. By Featureflash Photo Agency. Shutterstock.
Two members of the seven-boy band, Jin and Suga, will turn 28 soon, reported The Telegraph India. In South Korea, able-bodied men who are between the ages of 18 to 28 must serve in the military for two years, according to The New York Times.
Provided South Korea does not have any extraordinary reason, the revised Military Service Act states “a pop culture artist who was recommended by the Minister of Culture, Sports and Tourism to have greatly enhanced the image of Korea both within the nation and throughout the world” can delay service until age 30. (RELATED: World Superstars BTS Launch Hot Air Balloon That Will Travel From London To Seoul)
Prior to this update, the Military Service Act delayed serving time for classical musicians, athletes and those in Ph.D. programs abroad, Telegraph India reported.
The members of BTS — the full name being Bangtan Sonyeondan (Bulletproof Boy Scouts) or Beyond The Scene as their English branding – won a Grammy for their song ‘Dynamite’ this year, reported Telegraph India. The band’s first all-English song was at the top of the Billboard Hot 100 chart in September, making it the first pop act from South Korea to accomplish this.