South Korean chart smashers spark debate on military service

THEY may be the pride of South Korea after topping America’s Billboard 200 chart this week for the second time with Love Yourself, their new album, but the K-pop boy band BTS could still be cut off in their prime because of mandatory military service.

All able-bodied South Korean men must serve for at least 21 months in the army as the country is still technically at war with the North after the 1950-53 Korean War ended in an armistice and not a peace treaty.

However, the phenomenal global success of BTS, who have pulled off the rare feat of reaching No 1 in the US album chart twice in one year, has reignited a debate about who should be exempt from conscription.

Currently, elite medal-winning athletes, including Son Heung-min, the Tottenham Hotspur forward, and a select list of classical musicians and ballet dancers, can escape the compulsory duty as they are deemed to be raising the national image on a global stage.

But music fans and politicians argue that the rules are out of touch with modern society and should be updated to benefit celebrities of contemporary pop culture.

“The public, including young people, wonder what makes winning on the Billboard chart different from winning in other international competitions? Winning the former is likely to create bigger added value,” politician Ha Tae-kyung told the national defence committee in July.

In response, Lee Nak-yon, the prime minister, has instructed the Cabinet this week to look at reforming the system. However, any changes will come too late for K-pop sensation Big Bang, who lost several members, including leader singer G-dragon, to military service earlier this year.