South Korea May Exempt Gamers From Military Service Despite Pushing BTS To Serve

Professional gamers in South Korea may be granted an exemption from the mandatory military service — given that esports is now included in the 2023 Asian Games.

France 24 previously reported that South Korean men participating in the highly anticipated sports event would be granted an automatic exemption from the 18-month mandatory service if they can successfully take home a gold medal.

With esports now introduced as a medal event, the top players — including team captain Lee Sang-hyeok, known as "Faker" — have also been included in the exemption, commonly reserved for national athletes and classical musicians representing the nation.

Speaking of the military exemption, Hanshin University professor Choi Eun-kyoung told local media outlets, "Currently, all professional esports players are male who begin playing in their late teens. The benefit of exemptions from military service is important because it can be another huge motivation booster for players apart from the pride of representing their country."

Meanwhile, the national team's coach Kim Jeong-gyun opted not to address the issue. Instead, Kim assured the supporters that the team's only motivation was the "sense of duty" to represent South Korea. Esports games included in this year's Asian Games include "EA Sports FC," "PUBG Mobile," "Arena of Valor," "Dota 2," "League of Legends," "Dream Three Kingdoms 2" and "Street Fighter V."

Professions often granted an exemption are athletes who have won gold in the Olympics or the Asian Games, musicians such as violinists and pianists, or professional ballet dancers. Those who do not fall under the category and are aged between 18 and 28 are obliged to serve as active-duty soldiers.

An example of such a case was when South Korean footballer and Tottenham Hotspur spiker Song Heung-min was exempted from fulfilling his mandatory service after the national football team won first place at the 2018 Asian Games.

The news, however, garnered mixed reactions. Most were not pleased, especially coming from BTS fans — known as ARMY — as the group was not granted an exemption, despite becoming a pop cultural phenomenon that paved the way for K-Pop to be known worldwide.

"It's crazy how that [government] is [okay] with giving military exemption to these e-gamers instead of BTS who has been contributing billions in [South Korea's] economy, to say currently no gamer is eligible for it [because] none has that gold medal in Asian games, BTS economic impact is bigger than that medal," one user wrote on Twitter.

Another commented, "Me being a fan of both feels weird about this comment. Because for one, I know that BTS deserves an exemption. But also being a fan of esports opens my views about how hardworking and deserving these players are of recognition. They don't deserve to be discredited."

Though the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism (MCST) in South Korea also recognized BTS as the "vanguard" of K-culture and created a "huge economic ripple effect," it was still obliged to fulfill its service.

Discussions were held to determine the factors that could have allowed the members exemptions, but the public opinion and opinions of men in their 20s were considered.

Before BTS officially enlisted, South Korea's parliament passed a bill allowing South Korean pop stars to delay their enlistment until the age of 30 in 2020. As of late, three members have already enlisted — Jin, J-Hope and Suga.