South Korea: BTS and the Military Enlistment

By Poorvi Hosabettu

Background

K-pop, and the surrounding fan culture as we know it today, is a direct result of government actions taken in response to the 1990s Asian financial crisis. In 1997, South Korea was hit by a currency and banking crisis onset by a world recession and rapidly rising inflation, and it was forced to take a loan of US$58.4 billion to bail itself out (Kihwan 2006). Up until 1988, military dictator Chun Doo-Hwan – who ruled as the president of South Korea from 1980-1988 – implemented fickle and contradictory rules on media and entertainment sectors in an attempt to distract the public (Hankyoreh 2021). Restrictions on theatres and the opening of production companies were lifted, but censorship was extreme.

In his 1998 inaugural address, South Korean president Kim Dae-Jung stressed the importance of increasing South Korean cultural exports to enhance the Korean image (Nakahira 2021), and actively investing in the “development of pop culture and new technologies” (Pietrewicz 2020). President Kim Dae-Jung’s statements stirred a brewing idea that the economic potential of the still untapped entertainment industry might be the key to pulling the country out of its financial ditch. It is one that paid off. 

K-pop groups and their activities contribute massively to the country’s GDP, with estimates citing up to US$10 billion injected into the economy each year (Guo, Wang, and Zhang n.d.). Of this, US$3.6 billion is BTS alone, or “around half a percent of the country’s entire economy” (Gupta 2022). Outside of the direct impact of concert ticket sales and merchandise, K-pop as an industry has massively boosted other sectors as well: tourism, fashion and retail, food, and other packaged exports (“K-Pop to Offer Support for South Korea’s Pandemic-Hit Economy” 2020), in a phenomenon often referred as to as Hallyu, or “Korean wave” (Wikipedia Contributors 2019).

Mandatory military enlistment

South Korea has had an official mandatory military conscription requirement since 1957 to maintain a military force against North Korea. Introduced since the country’s founding in 1948, the need for an active and plentiful military was solidified after the Korean War (1950-1953). The general term of service is 1.5 - 2 years, with able-bodied men between the ages of 19 and 28 obliged to serve out their term (“Why Is Military Service Mandatory in South Korea?” 2022). That said, the law actually extended the age limit for BTS’ oldest member, Jin; just three days before his 28th birthday, the law created an exception extending his deadline to the age of 30 (Hughes 2022). While Jin himself has stated that he was more than willing to enlist earlier (Yeo 2022), it has become increasingly obvious that as BTS’ influence grows, this is not solely his decision. 

Although tensions with North Korea have decreased significantly, the mandatory enlistment is still strictly enforced both legally and culturally, with few exceptions. The country follows a fairly strict standard for exemptions (“제도소개 - 예술체육요원 - 복무제도 - 병역이행안내 - 병무청,” n.d.); famous artists and athletes who are deemed to have had a great contribution to the country’s prestige or who don’t match the physical requirements for enlistment were granted exemptions (Onchi 2022). Notable examples include Son Heung Min, a soccer player on the national team who won the nation a gold medal at the 18th Asian Games in 2018 (Son 2022), and actor Hong-Sik Uhm, who was diagnosed with a bone tumor (“Why These Koreans Got Exemption from Military Service” 2022). Children of chaebols - rich conglomerate families - have often been accused of using their power and connections to illegally dodge the draft (BBC News 2013) – to much public outcry. 

The debate over whether or not ultra-popular K-pop groups, BTS in particular, should be eligible for exemption is a long-held one. So far, K-pop groups, actors, and similar celebrities have never been included in this criteria. There are critics and supporters of the argument - supporters put forward that the cultural and economic impact that BTS and other large K-pop groups have contributed to the country would make it a greater loss for them to have to put their careers on pause for 2+ years. Others argue that considering the number of pop artists that South Korea churns out, vague criteria would only lead to further confusion and be unfair to those who have already performed their military service (Mane 2022). 

Understandably, the biggest dissenter regarding the suggestion that BTS be exempted from military service was the South Korean Defense Ministry. Lee Ki-Sik, the commissioner of the Military Manpower Administration argued that widening the criteria for exemptions would “garner feelings of discrimination, discrepancy and discouragement among the younger male generation who are fulfilling their military duties” (Kaufman 2022). Moreover, the country’s declining birth rate poses a growing challenge for maintaining the military’s strength (Roy 2022).  

The debate around the military draft and its culture

It is important to understand that those who evade the draft – especially public figures – are often met with public vitriol that often leads to irreparable damage to their image and career. A famous example is Steve Yoo, a pop sensation from 1997 who gave up his Korean citizenship for an American one right before he was due to fulfill his military service in 2002 (Lee 2022). Yoo was then banned from re-entering South Korea, and despite his repeated apologies, the Los Angeles Consulate General refused to issue his visa as recently as 2020. The South Korean public is notoriously harsh on its celebrities, and draft dodgers are no exception (Sung 2014). 

That is not to say that the military service has no critics among the general public. The institution is ripe with accusations of molestation and harassment, especially of the rarer female soldiers. Accusations that South Korean military courts are too soft on offenders were once again brought to the forefront in 2021, when the suicide of a female air force member allegedly caused by the sexual harassment of a colleague captured headlines across the country (Shin 2021). Physical, mental, and sexual abuse are a leading cause of suicide in the military forces (“Hazing in the Republic of Korea Armed Forces” 2022) and are often suppressed by a strict hierarchy. The hit Netflix series D.P. (short for Deserter Pursuit) shines a light on the severity of hazing in the Korean military (Cha 2021). In response, the South Korean government made the monumental decision to allow enlistees to use their cell phones in the barracks, significantly improving mental health and allowing better reintegration into civilian society post-enlistment (Choi 2020).

Why is BTS’ enlistment such a big deal?

Economic contributions aside, the K-pop industry is a giant cultural asset to South Korea. The majority of popular media is dominated by American culture – we are all aware of “...Hollywood’s extraordinary ability to tell stories that speak to the entire planet” (Goldfarb 2014). The US has long held and deliberately maintained this power to exert influence in diplomatic, trade, and economic sectors. This soft culture impact - a country’s ability to wield power and global influence through appeal, culture, and influence rather than economic or military might (Ikenberry 2004) –  a kind of power that countries around the world envy, and that is what BTS is making into a reality for South Korea.

The rise of K-pop and other South Korean content in mainstream media has promoted knowledge of the Korean language, traditional Korean clothes and instruments, and Korean food. Actively involved in increasing tourism, BTS instituted the “...’Live Seoul Like I Do’ initiative that seeks to draw tourists to band members’ favorite locations in the city” (Suntikul 2019). BTS’ global recognition spans beyond the reach of ordinary fans and has been recognized by leaders worldwide. For instance, BTS was invited to the United Nations General Assembly in September 2018 to deliver a speech to launch Generation Unlimited, an education program for young people around the world (UNICEF 2018). More recently, BTS was invited to the White House in May 2022 to speak on hate crimes against Asian Americans and discuss issues like representation and anti-Asian discrimination with President Biden (Alfonseca 2022). 

The timing of BTS’ military enlistment is particularly incongruous with the ambitious candidacy of Busan (South Korea’s second most populous city) to host the 2030 World Expo. Busan has already spent $5 million in marketing and is vying to have BTS headline their bid to host. South Korea would benefit from the economic input and the potential tourism boost that Busan could receive after a particularly grueling pandemic season. Busan’s mayor had thus requested that BTS’ military enlistment be waived in light of their ability to “serve the nation in their unique capacity” (Ye Hee Lee, Kim, and Li 2022). 

The wide, international reach that BTS has amassed has definitely pushed South Korean power from the realm of diplomatic chambers to the considerations of everyday people, mimicking the effects of people-to-people diplomacy (“People’s Diplomacy - National Museum of American Diplomacy” 2021). Additionally, their socially-conscious lyrics and reputation as a progressive, candid group of singers have won them the hearts of a record-breaking number of fans crossing national, linguistic, and religious barriers.

The personal reach of K-pop idols is no accident - the entertainment company behind BTS, HYBE (formerly Big Hit Entertainment),  and other major entertainment companies in South Korea work tirelessly to build an extremely personal relationship between fans and K-pop idols. They promote the groups via meet-and-greets, live broadcasts of the members’ everyday lives where they actively interact with fans, special messages for fans’ birthdays, and an overall more personal relationship that endears idols as friends and approachable figures to the common people. Fans and fan clubs are integral to their functioning, especially internationally, as they perform promotion events, local language translations, news updates, second-hand merchandise, and even jump to their defense (often with proof) in cases of scandals concerning their reputation - a particularly important feature in an era of digital social justice. While this more extreme form of fan culture has its merits and demerits, it is in stark contrast to Western celebrity culture which presents celebrities as unattainable, distant figures ​​(Mizumi 2017). 

This Hallyu effect has even spilled over into the country’s most tenuous diplomatic relationship, that with North Korea. In 2018, K-pop girl group Red Velvet performed at a widely televised cultural exchange event in Pyongyang, North Korea. Following the performance, photos of the North Korean leader, Kim Jong Un, speaking with the members of the 5-member group were widely circulated, signaling publicly that South Korean culture and media were enjoyed by Kim and thus opened an avenue of cultural diplomacy (Erwin 2021). This was very surprising considering the previously hostile reactions towards South Korean cultural products.  

South Korean media, Korean dramas (K-dramas), and K-pop in particular are items commonly smuggled across the North Korean border. North Korean law explicitly bans South Korean media and has given fines, jail time, and even executed those caught with such contraband (Reuters 2021). Despite this, the North Korean public are avid consumers of this media, and credit it with disillusioning them to the false image they had been fed of North Korea (Ro 2020). South Korean media is also an important factor in the decision of North Korean defectors. 

The trickle of South Korean influence across the border presents a deeper threat to North Korea than one might think. The North’s government tightly controls the content broadcasted to its population and has repeatedly written South Korean media off as propaganda material to give an exaggerated view of South Korean wealth. This is because South Korean culture poses a formidable threat to Kim Jong-un’s hold on power through a difficult-to-control means - hope. In a country already choked by economic and food scarcity (which was further weakened during the economic downturn of the pandemic), the idea of a better world outside of the one Kim has presented is a dangerous one. While few pieces of South Korean content explicitly talk about the benefits and possibility of democracy, the questions it plants about the outside world in the minds of a highly sequestered population have definite weight (Yeung and Seo 2021).

Even in the face of the potential loss of BTS’ economic contributions, it is likely that the South Korean government didn’t put off their enlistment for economic reasons as much as for their cultural impact. Recently the government announced that they would be allowing the members to occasionally reconvene to perform as a group at ‘national’ events (ET Spotlight Special 2022). Overall, the K-pop industry’s soft culture impact cannot be overstated. 

References

Alfonseca, Kiara. 2022. “BTS Speaks out against Anti-Asian Hate in White House Press Briefing.” ABC News. May 31, 2022. https://abcnews.go.com/Politics/bts-speak-white-house-press-briefing/story?id=84993548.

BBC News. 2013. “South Korea: Rich Young Men ‘More Likely to Avoid Service,’” July 15, 2013, sec. News from Elsewhere. https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/blogs-news-from-elsewhere-23146185.

Cha, Sangmi. 2021. “Popular Netflix Series Sparks New Debate over S.Korea’s Military Conscription.” Reuters, September 14, 2021, sec. Media & Telecom. https://www.reuters.com/business/media-telecom/popular-netflix-series-sparks-new-debate-over-skoreas-military-conscription-2021-09-14/.

Choi, Su-Hyang. 2020. “Mobile Phone Use at Barracks Officially Allowed for Enlistees.” Yonhap News Agency. July 1, 2020. https://en.yna.co.kr/view/AEN20200630006100325.

Erwin, Elizabeth. 2021. “Implications of Pop Cultural Diplomacy: An Analysis of Idol-State Implications of Pop Cultural Diplomacy: An Analysis of Idol-State Interactions Interactions.” https://digitalcommons.murraystate.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=1081&context=honorstheses.

ET Spotlight Special. 2022. “South Korean Defense Ministry Allows BTS to Perform at ‘National’ Events during Military Service. More Details Inside.” The Economic Times, October 21, 2022. https://economictimes.indiatimes.com/news/international/us/south-korean-defense-ministry-allows-bts-to-perform-at-national-events-during-military-service-more-details-inside/articleshow/94989320.cms.

Goldfarb, Michael. 2014. “Soft Power Is the Secret to America’s Influence - from Culture to Foreign Aid.” Raconteur. October 8, 2014. https://www.raconteur.net/american-culture-rules-the-world/.

GUO, ADIE, JOCELYN WANG, and SANDY ZHANG. n.d. “Why KPOP Is Profitable, but White-Washed.” INTERNATIONAL SOCIOECONOMICS LABORATORY. Accessed November 2, 2022. https://socioeconlabs.org/articles/why%20kpop%20is%20profitable,%20but%20white-washed/kpop%20whitewash.

Gupta, Manas Sen. 2022. “How BTS’ Military Service Might Result in Billion-Dollar Loss for South Korean Economy.” Lifestyle Asia India. October 27, 2022. https://www.lifestyleasia.com/ind/culture/entertainment/bts-military-service-and-its-impact-on-south-korea-economy/.

Guy, Zoe. 2022. “BTS to Fulfill Military Service, Millions Now ARMY Wives.” Vulture. October 20, 2022. https://www.vulture.com/2022/10/bts-mandatory-military-service-hiatus.html#:~:text=Members%20of%20the%20septet%20will.

Hankyoreh. 2021. “Sex, Screen and Sports: How Chun Doo-Hwan’s Plan to Distract the Public Backfired.” English.hani.co.kr. December 5, 2021. https://english.hani.co.kr/arti/english_edition/e_national/1021986.html.

“Hazing in the Republic of Korea Armed Forces.” 2022. Wikipedia. October 11, 2022. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hazing_in_the_Republic_of_Korea_Armed_Forces.

Hughes, Jen A. 2022. “What the Hell Happened: BTS to Enlist in Military to Fulfill Mandatory Service Obligation | Arts | the Harvard Crimson.” Www.thecrimson.com. October 21, 2022. https://www.thecrimson.com/article/2022/10/21/BTS-to-Enlist-in-South-Korean-Military-2022/#:~:text=All%20South%20Korean%20men%20are.

Ikenberry, G. John. 2004. “Soft Power: The Means to Success in World Politics.” Foreign Affairs. PublicAffairs. May 2004. https://www.foreignaffairs.com/reviews/capsule-review/2004-05-01/soft-power-means-success-world-politics.

“제도소개 - 예술체육요원 - 복무제도 - 병역이행안내 - 병무청.” n.d. Www.mma.go.kr. https://www.mma.go.kr/contents.do?mc=mma0000752.

“K-Pop to Offer Support for South Korea’s Pandemic-Hit Economy.” 2020. News.cgtn.com. September 23, 2020. https://news.cgtn.com/news/2020-09-23/K-Pop-to-offer-support-for-South-Korea-s-pandemic-hit-economy-U1wOeZuhBC/index.html.

Kaufman, Gil. 2022. “Defense Minister Says It Would Be ‘Difficult’ to Exempt BTS from Mandatory Military Service.” Billboard. September 21, 2022. https://www.billboard.com/music/pop/bts-defense-minister-military-exemption-difficult-1235142188/.

Kihwan, Kim. 2006. “The 1997-98 Korean Financial Crisis: Causes, Policy Response, and Lessons; Presentation by Kim Kihwan at the IMF-Singapore Government High Level Seminar, Singapore; July 10, 2006.” Imf.org. https://www.imf.org/external/np/seminars/eng/2006/cpem/pdf/kihwan.pdf.

Lee, Hae-Rin. 2022. “Singer Yoo Seung-Jun and Korean Diplomatic Mission in Court Again over Visa Dispute.” Koreatimes. April 24, 2022. https://www.koreatimes.co.kr/www/nation/2022/04/281_327913.html.

Mane, Anwaya. 2022. “BTS Military Public Survey Poll Indicates 54% of South Korean Citizens Prefer the K-Pop Superstars Serve in the Military.” Www.sportskeeda.com. September 6, 2022. https://www.sportskeeda.com/pop-culture/news-bts-military-public-survey-poll-indicates-54-south-korean-citizens-prefer-k-pop-superstars-serve-military.

Mizumi, Isu. 2017. “Understanding the Kpop Idol Fan Culture.” Medium. May 4, 2017. https://medium.com/@isu.mizumi/understanding-the-kpop-idol-fan-culture-b65baea82ec4.

Nakahira, Sam. 2021. “The Surprisingly Political History of K-Pop.” Vox. June 21, 2021. https://www.google.com/url?q=https://www.vox.com/the-highlight/22532102/bts-kpop-blackpink-south-korea-psy&sa=D&source=docs&ust=1667422898916728&usg=AOvVaw1vWMyVxzHG3jfdDDLnFCEE.

Onchi, Yosuke. 2022. “In or Out? Issue of BTS Military Duty Roils South Korean Politics.” Nikkei Asia. October 15, 2022. https://asia.nikkei.com/Politics/In-or-out-Issue-of-BTS-military-duty-roils-South-Korean-politics#:~:text=In%20South%20Korea%2C%20all%20able.

“People’s Diplomacy - National Museum of American Diplomacy.” 2021. The National Museum of American Diplomacy. March 19, 2021. https://diplomacy.state.gov/exhibits/diplomacy-is-our-mission/peoples-diplomacy/#:~:text=People%2Dto%2Dpeople%20diplomacy%20is.

Pietrewicz, Oskar. 2020. “The ‘Korean Wave’ and the Expansion of South Korean Culture.” In The Polish Institute of International Affairs (PISM), 1. https://pism.pl/about_us/About-PISM.

Reuters. 2021. “N.Korea Bans K-Dramas, Use of South Korean Slang.” BusinessWorld Online. January 20, 2021. https://www.bworldonline.com/editors-picks/2021/01/20/339967/n-korea-bans-k-dramas-use-of-south-korean-slang/.

Ro, Christine. 2020. “BTS and EXO: The Soft Power Roots of K-Pop.” BBC. March 9, 2020. https://www.bbc.com/culture/article/20200309-the-soft-power-roots-of-k-pop.

Roy, Torunika. 2022. “Population Crisis: A Challenge to South Korea’s Military.” TDHJ. May 26, 2022. https://www.thedefencehorizon.org/post/population-crisis-a-challenge-to-south-korea-s-military.

Shin, Hyonhee. 2021. “South Korean Military Member Arrested over Suspected Sexual Abuse.” Reuters, June 3, 2021, sec. World. https://www.reuters.com/world/south-korean-military-member-arrested-over-suspected-sexual-abuse-2021-06-03/.

Son, Sarah A. 2022. “BTS Take a Break: World’s Biggest K-Pop Group Is Caught between Korea’s Soft Power Ambitions and National Security.” The Conversation. June 20, 2022. https://theconversation.com/bts-take-a-break-worlds-biggest-k-pop-group-is-caught-between-koreas-soft-power-ambitions-and-national-security-185433.

Sung, So-Young. 2014. “Scandals Stick for Star Draft Dodgers.” Koreajoongangdaily.joins.com. November 9, 2014. https://koreajoongangdaily.joins.com/news/article/article.aspx?aid=2997086.

Suntikul, Wantanee. 2019. “BTS and the Global Spread of Korean Soft Power.” The Diplomat. March 4, 2019. https://thediplomat.com/2019/03/bts-and-the-global-spread-of-korean-soft-power/.

UNICEF. 2018. “‘We Have Learned to Love Ourselves, so Now I Urge You to “Speak Yourself.”’” Unicef.org. September 24, 2018. https://www.unicef.org/press-releases/we-have-learned-love-ourselves-so-now-i-urge-you-speak-yourself.

“Why Is Military Service Mandatory in South Korea?” 2022. Go! Go! Hanguk. February 23, 2022. https://gogohanguk.com/en/blog/why-is-military-service-mandatory-in-south-korea/.

“Why These Koreans Got Exemption from Military Service.” 2022. Sakshi Post. October 20, 2022. https://english.sakshi.com/news/entertainment/why-these-korean-got-exemption-military-service-163171.

Wikipedia Contributors. 2019. “Korean Wave.” Wikipedia. Wikimedia Foundation. April 12, 2019. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Korean_Wave.

Ye Hee Lee, Michelle, Min Joo Kim, and Lyric Li. 2022. “A South Korean City Badly Wants the World Expo. BTS Is Its Secret Weapon.” Washington Post, October 13, 2022. https://www.washingtonpost.com/world/2022/10/13/bts-concert-busan-korea-world-expo/.

Yeo, Gladys. 2022. “BTS’ Jin Reveals He Initially Planned Military Enlistment for June 2022.” NME. October 31, 2022. https://www.nme.com/news/music/bts-jin-reveals-original-june-enlistment-plans-3339254.

Yeung, Jessie, and Yoonjung Seo. 2021. “Why North Korea Is so Afraid of K-Pop.” CNN. July 23, 2021. https://www.cnn.com/2021/07/23/asia/north-korea-culture-war-kpop-intl-hnk-dst/index.html.