Defense Ministry slammed for lack of responsibility
The Ministry of National Defense has taken flaks for having rekindled a dispute over the possible military service exemption for K-pop superstar group BTS. On Wednesday, Minister Lee Jong-sup told lawmakers he has ordered officials to carry out a public survey to help determine whether to apply such special treatment to the boy band.
In the face of growing backlash, however, Lee attempted to downplay his earlier statement by saying, Thursday, "We only planned to gauge the views of the people and do not plan to implement (such an exemption) according to the survey results." His comments came in response to queries from lawmakers during the ongoing National Assembly session.
It is disappointing for the defense ministry to attempt to determine the hot-button issue based on the public survey without acting more responsibly. It is equivalent to passing the buck to the people. The ministry should respect the rules and principles for implementing military manpower policies rather than trying to read the minds of the public.
Military service is a duty mandated to all able-bodied Korean men. For this, the core value of fairness should be kept so that government policies can obtain public trust. There are various cases suitable for the military service waiver in such areas as industrial technology, public health and arts and sports, requiring alternative services for the public interest. Yet the K-pop stars are not included in these categories.
Some call for the need to offer the privilege to the BTS members in consideration of their brilliant performances in the global musical arena, thus contributing to enhancing the national prestige. For instance, Busan Mayor Park Heong-joon proposed to allow the BTS members to serve as public relations ambassadors to promote Busan's bid to host the 2030 World Expo as an alternative to military service.
Proponents of the exemption cite the need to extract a solution to the dispute by fomenting social consensus. Yet, even in this case, politicians ― not the ministry ― should spearhead it. It is not a job for the ministry which needs to set the standards squarely and handle military personnel administration properly.
A public survey will possibly provide the BTS members with a military duty exemption. This will be a bonanza for them as they will face diverse setbacks in going ahead with their current activities should they enlist in the military. But this is the same dilemma facing other young people subject to conscription.
Furthermore, surveys can possibly have "distorted" results due to numerous factors. Any decision in favor of the BTS members based on a survey's outcome will consequently deal a severe blow to the nation's Military Manpower Administration with regard to its responsibility and fairness. This will also bring a backlash to the Yoon Suk-yeol government which has been stressing the values of fairness and common sense.
The Ministry of National Defense has taken flaks for having rekindled a dispute over the possible military service exemption for K-pop superstar group BTS. On Wednesday, Minister Lee Jong-sup told lawmakers he has ordered officials to carry out a public survey to help determine whether to apply such special treatment to the boy band.
In the face of growing backlash, however, Lee attempted to downplay his earlier statement by saying, Thursday, "We only planned to gauge the views of the people and do not plan to implement (such an exemption) according to the survey results." His comments came in response to queries from lawmakers during the ongoing National Assembly session.
It is disappointing for the defense ministry to attempt to determine the hot-button issue based on the public survey without acting more responsibly. It is equivalent to passing the buck to the people. The ministry should respect the rules and principles for implementing military manpower policies rather than trying to read the minds of the public.
Military service is a duty mandated to all able-bodied Korean men. For this, the core value of fairness should be kept so that government policies can obtain public trust. There are various cases suitable for the military service waiver in such areas as industrial technology, public health and arts and sports, requiring alternative services for the public interest. Yet the K-pop stars are not included in these categories.
Some call for the need to offer the privilege to the BTS members in consideration of their brilliant performances in the global musical arena, thus contributing to enhancing the national prestige. For instance, Busan Mayor Park Heong-joon proposed to allow the BTS members to serve as public relations ambassadors to promote Busan's bid to host the 2030 World Expo as an alternative to military service.
Proponents of the exemption cite the need to extract a solution to the dispute by fomenting social consensus. Yet, even in this case, politicians ― not the ministry ― should spearhead it. It is not a job for the ministry which needs to set the standards squarely and handle military personnel administration properly.
A public survey will possibly provide the BTS members with a military duty exemption. This will be a bonanza for them as they will face diverse setbacks in going ahead with their current activities should they enlist in the military. But this is the same dilemma facing other young people subject to conscription.
Furthermore, surveys can possibly have "distorted" results due to numerous factors. Any decision in favor of the BTS members based on a survey's outcome will consequently deal a severe blow to the nation's Military Manpower Administration with regard to its responsibility and fairness. This will also bring a backlash to the Yoon Suk-yeol government which has been stressing the values of fairness and common sense.
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