BTS is having a phenomenal year, with two No. 1 albums and a chart-topping single in “Dynamite.” But the group has long worried that a law in their native South Korea would force its oldest member to enlist for the country’s military when he turns 28. Thankfully, that won’t happen. According to the New York Times, the South Korea National Assembly revised its Military Service Act, allowing the country’s top K-pop stars to delay their military service until they turn 30. The new revision also allows K-pop acts that have been recognized by the government for their cultural impact to request a deferment from the military.
The revision of the Military Service Act comes just in time to save Kim Seok-jin, a.k.a. “Jin,” who turns 28 this Friday. According to Consequence Of Sound, the group was asked about eventually having to join the military back in 2019. “As a Korean, it’s natural,” Jin said. “And some day, when duty calls, we’ll be ready to respond and do our best.”
The news comes after BTS saw the deluxe version of their album Be top the Billboard album charts, a mere eight months after their first album of the year, Map Of The Soul: 7, did the same.
(via New York Times)
Source: https://uproxx.com/pop/bts-avoid-mandatory-military-service-south-korea-revises-law/