An amendment to the so-called ‘BTS Military Service Act’, which allows alternative service for pop culture artists who contributed to the national interest, was discussed in the National Assembly, but it was put on hold without reaching a conclusion.
The Ministry of National Defense said, “Social consensus is necessary and we need to be cautious.”
Along with this news, we will talk with cultural critic Kim Seong-soo, from the selection of BTS’s Grammy Awards nominations.
Hello.
Many fans at home and abroad are paying attention to this bill. Yesterday (25th), the National Assembly Defense Committee Bill Subcommittee discussed a bill to amend the Military Service Act to include pop culture artists such as BTS in the arts and sports fields that may be subject to special military service. In the end, it was not possible to come to a conclusion due to mixed opinions. Did the Ministry of Defense also show displeasure?
First of all, the National Defense Commission has decided to hold a public discussion process, such as a public hearing. Discussions about it have been going on for some time now, but they are still standing still. If the bill does not pass, will the news of BTS enlist in the military soon?
But even if the law is amended, isn’t there a certain standard of performance in sports such as winning medals in international competitions? In the case of popular culture and arts, how to establish criteria for recognition of special military service such as ‘contribution to the national interest’ seems to be a hot potato?
However, apart from such a lively discussion, the BTS members who are the parties have expressed their will for military service several times over the years, saying that military service is a natural duty. On the contrary, is there any point that the politicians and the music industry show greater interest than the parties involved?
Among them, BTS was nominated for the Grammy Awards in the ‘Best Pop/Duo Group Performance’ category with the digital single ‘Butter’. It’s been nominated for a Grammy for two years in a row, so it’s a meaningful achievement, right?
However, it did not make it to the highly anticipated Grammy Awards ‘Four Bonsang’ nominations. Previously, foreign media observed that he was a strong candidate for ‘Record of the Year’, one of the four major main awards, but there are criticisms that the Grammy’s decision cannot be understood?
Apart from the authority of the Grammy Awards, it has been criticized for being conservative, especially white men. As BTS is excluded from the nominations for the Bonsang this time, do you think this criticism will get even stronger?
At the last Grammy Awards, it was nominated for the same category for ‘Dynamite’, but unfortunately the award was not received. We are challenging this award once again. If BTS wins the Grammy this time, will they write a new history?
Yonhap News TV Article Inquiries and Reports: KakaoTalk/Line jebo23
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