By law, Korean men must enlist in the military by the age of 29. Jin, who was born in December 1992, is BTS’s oldest member and is expected to enlist soon. Jin, on the other hand, will be permitted to remain active with BTS until his birthday in 2022, thanks to the new regulation.
BTS, a Grammy-nominated K-pop group, has sought to delay their military duty until they are 30 years old. Their foundation ‘BTS Military Service Act,’ which went into force on June 23 this year in South Korea, six months after the government promulgated it on December 22, 2020.
The rule allows notable pop culture musicians, to postpone their military service until they reach the age of 30. BTS is currently the only one eligible to petition for military service postponement based on legal prerequisites.
BTS was awarded the Hwagwan (Flower Crown) Order of Cultural Merit by the Korean government in October 2018 for their contribution to the global expansion of Hallyu, or Korean Wave. BTS members Jin, RM, Suga, J-Hope, Jimin, V, and Jungkook have all asked to delay their military service until they are 30 years old, according to Korean media.
Minister Hwang Hee of Korea’s Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism (MCST) indicated in June that if BTS applies to postpone their military duty till age 30, he will recommend them. The updated law included popular culture artists to the list of those who can be granted deferment of military duty under Article 60 of Korea’s Military Service Act.
Prior to the modification, the privilege was exclusively given to “a high school or higher student;” “a person enrolled in a prescribed course at a training institute;” and “an exceptional athlete to improve national reputation.” The BTS Law was first introduced in September of last year after BTS debuted at the top of the Billboard Hot 100 with “Dynamite.”
According to HYBE Corp. (previously Big Hit Entertainment) in an investment prospectus, BTS members born between 1992 and 1997 are eligible for active service enlistment, with Jin, born in 1992, projected to delay his recruitment until the end of 2022 due to the new Military Service Act. BTS has already indicated that they will complete their military service when the time comes.
