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Band members from South Korean boy band BTS and Kim Nam-joon, also known as RM, are on stage with White House press secretary Karin Jean-Pierre during their daily press conference in the James S. Brady Briefing Room of the White House Together on May 31st in Washington DC. License photo
Seoul, September 5 (UPI) — Majority of South Koreans agree that its runaway successful boy band should be exempted from military service BTSaccording to a survey conducted on behalf of UPI News Korea and regional broadcaster KBC.
Of the 800 respondents aged 18 and older, 57.7% said their seven male members should be exempt from compulsory military service, while 39.8% opposed the idea.
By gender, 64.4 percent of women and 50.9 percent of men favor exemptions.
People of all ages, except those in their 20s and 30s, were mostly in favor of the proposal.
However, a whopping 63.9 percent of male respondents in their 20s opposed the idea, taking the position that BTS members should be conscripted just like everyone else in their age group.
All able-bodied South Koreans under the age of 30 are required to serve in the military for at least 18 months to protect the country from external threats, including North Korea.
The eldest BTS member, Kim, will turn 30 in December, while the other members are approaching the age limit for the draft.
In part in response, BTS, the most successful boy band in history, announced earlier this year that its members would stop performing as a group and instead pursue solo careers.
The survey results are broadly in line with the results of a Gallup Korea poll in April last year. Nearly 59 percent of 1,004 South Koreans who were subsequently surveyed agreed that BTS members should not serve in the military, the poll showed.
The latest survey is notable because it could serve as a predictive precursor to a poll the country’s Defense Ministry is planning on the eligibility of BTS members for military immunity, an idea expressed by Defense Minister Li Song. -sup during Wednesday’s parliamentary session.
However, the ministry stepped back the next day, saying the outcome of the polls would not be the sole criterion for deciding the matter.
The survey was conducted by Next Week Research on behalf of UPI News Korea and Gwangju’s KBC.
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