Which South Koreans are famous enough to avoid military service? Son Heung-min but not BTS
- The bulk of South Korea’s 599,000-strong military are conscripts, with all able-bodied men obliged to serve for 21 months
- But not everyone is required to submit to the ordeal: some athletes and artists can qualify for exemptions
Despite generating almost US$4 billion a year for the South Korean economy, the seven floppy-haired members of K-pop boy band BTS will still have to perform nearly two years of mind-numbing military service.
But the likes of Tottenham Hotspur striker Son Heung-min and award-winning pianist Cho Seong-jin are entitled to exemptions, prompting calls for an overhaul of the controversial pass system.
The bulk of South Korea’s 599,000-strong military – which faces off against Pyongyang’s 1.28 million Korean People’s Army – are conscripts, with all able-bodied men obliged to serve for 21 months.
They are forbidden access to mobile phones, have to fulfil endless hours of tedious sentry duties – often in remote locations – and are largely confined to their bases, opening the possibility of exploitation and abuse by more senior soldiers.
“I think three out of 10 conscripted men on average struggle very much in every day military life, mainly because it couldn’t be more different from their civilian life,” said Kang Sung-min, a 25-year-old college student, who performed his service in the military police.