A change to South Korea’s military service law has extended the immediate lifespan of BTS.
An endless sight of BTS army members were stressing over the K-pop band’s future. This is because South Korean men must perform compulsory military service by age 28. Two of the group’s members turn 28 soon: Jin on Dec. 4 and Suga on March 9. Fortunately, a newly changed law has extended the required service age to 30.
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Some classical musicians and athletes, including Tottenham soccer player Son Heung-min, BTS were not given a complete exemption. Democratic party member Jeon Yong-gi went to bat for the K-pop group, insisting their global superstardom would be jeopardized if they were to serve so young.
“For the sake of the fairness, we are not talking about exempting them from their duty, but pop musicians and artists like BTS – their careers can blossom in their 20s,” Yong-gi argued, per The Guardian. “We cannot let military duty block their way at the height of their careers.”
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The newly changed law will allow BTS to build on their international success after scoring the first-ever Korean-language number one single in the U.S., “Life Goes On”. The group also recently earned the first Grammy nomination of any K-pop group in history.
