Do Kpop Idols Serve In The Military. For those who are unaware all men aged 18 to 35 in South Korea are required to serve in the Korean army for approximately 21 months depending on the enlisted branch - including celebrities and K-pop idols. Grade 5 are unfit but still serves as a public service worker and grade 6 are exempted because completely unfit.
At a meeting held on November 20 the Korean National Assembly defense committee passed a bill that could potentially allow top male idols like BTS postpone their military enlistment. No they have to be a korean citizen to serve the military so for example in got7 Jackson bamboo and mark are not korean so they would not have to serve the military another example is Jae from day6 although he is fully korean he was born in the US so hes an American citizen so I dont think he has to. Popular 1990s K-pop singer Steve Yoo became a US citizen in 2002 automatically forfeiting his South Korean nationality and with it his military obligations.
According to South Korean law men under 30 must enter the military for mandatory service for up to two years.
For those who are new to Korean pop culture you might be surprised to find out that idols have to serve in the South Korean military. As we approach the halfway mark of 2019 several male idols have either enlisted in the military or announced their upcoming enlistment. If youre enthically Korean you dont need to serve in the military if you dont have citizenship. In the past Korean male citizens could delay their military.