The Korean Singers Association will hold a public hearing to raise the issue of military service exemptions for K-pop singers.
The hearing will be held on December 18 at the Seoul National Assembly Hall. This topic is an important one given the meteoric rise of the Korean Wave across the globe. The main issue of this hearing will discuss whether the exclusion of K-pop stars from the military service rule would prove to help the Korean Wave. The issue is more pressing given BTS's popularity and because their future depends on their military service.
The chairman of the Korea Singer Association Lee Ja Yeon stated: “We are prepared for the public hearing to discuss K-Pop singers in regards to the military service exemption system. It's not a unilateral demand for exemption. The first purpose of this hearing is to get a social consensus by gathering opinions from all walks of life."
Some netizens are stating that if you are awarded the Order of Cultural Merit from the President then you should be exempt from the military much like gold medalists at the Olympics and Asian Games.
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This is totally unnecessary. Idols will not serve a greater service to the country singing for the two years they would spend in the military. Yes they may well boost tourism and spending, but it's only two years they are gone and there IS still an active conflict with North Korea. This whole issue just gives male idols a bad image, they would be the first to tell you they do not regard themselves as 'too important' to serve their country.
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