We’ve seen a lot of misreporting on the topic of BTS members enlisting in the military, especially from the west, so we wanted to dedicate an episode to the issue as a whole. Now, we know there’s a lot of sensitivity around foreigners (non-native South Koreans) covering this, so we’ll start with some disclaimers. 

What this episode isn’t:

• Us giving our opinions on the South Korean government, South Korean citizens, HYBE, or BTS’ decision-making process

What this episode will cover: 

• A very high-level overview of enlistment and conscription in South Korea and globally
• The news itself, the timing, and some math and prospective timelines
• Our feelings/POV as:
  • Army 
  • A duo who bias Jin and Suga, who are the first to leave
  • Multistans
• Some points and perspectives to help make sense of this for international army/Kpop fans
• The western media’s reaction and reporting on this news

Listen here:

First up is our research on enlistment and conscription.

Conscription 101 – The Basics (from Wikipedia)

• What is conscription?
  The state-mandated enlistment of people in a national service, mainly a military service. 
• Which countries have valid/active conscription laws?
  Aside from South Korea, Israel comes up in the conversation, and their conscription is for both males and females. In reality there are 44 countries listed on the Wikipedia conscription page as a Yes on still having active conscription laws. But a lot of them have caveats:
  1. Still a law but not enforced
  2. Alternative service is an option 
  3. Only enforced in time of war
• In the case of South Korea, conscription has been a law since 1948 due to unresolved tensions with North Korea, and it’s compulsory for all males between 18-28 years old. 
• The length of compulsory military service in South Korea varies based on military branch:
  1. Active duty soldiers serve
     • 1 year 6 months in the Army or Marine Corps
     • 1 year 8 months in the Navy
     • 1 year 9 months in the Air Force
  2. Non-active duty personnel, or “supplemental service” personnel serve
     • 1 year 9 months for social work personnel
     • 2 years 10 months for arts and sports or industrial technical personnel
     • 3 years for public health doctors, lawyers, veterinarians, or expert researchers
• Exemptions have been granted since 1976 to exceptional athletes and are also available for classical musicians and ballet performers who win first place in stipulated international-level competitions
• Conscientious Objection (the right to refuse military service for political or religious reasons) was not recognized in South Korea until 2018 when the Supreme Court legalized it. 
• Medical component: At 19 years old, South Korean men are required to undergo an Impairment & Disability evaluation to determine whether they’re suitable for military service.

The Statement

Here’s the full statement from BigHit Music on the members’ enlistment and solo activities plans. We won’t copy and paste the entire thing here, but we did want to highlight some sentences that jumped out at us:

• The members of BTS are honored to serve.
• Group member Jin will initiate the process as soon as his schedule for his solo release is concluded at the end of October.
• Other members of the group plan to carry out their military service based on their own individual plans.
• Both the company and the members of BTS are looking forward to reconvening as a group again around 2025 following their service commitment.
• “Yet To Come (The Most Beautiful Moment)” is more than a track from their latest album, it is a promise, there’s much more yet to come in the years ahead from BTS.

And we also found it interesting that they mentioned “individual” plans and “solo” endeavors three different times in three consecutive paragraphs. You know what else? The word “hiatus” was NOWHERE to be found. Cough cough ::western media:: cough cough.

For the rest of our take on:

• A prospective enlistment timeline
• Our feelings as Army, Jin and Suga biased fans, and multi-stans
• Western media’s lazy reporting

Watch here: