South Korea's K-pop stars to serve military duty

ANKARA (AA) - Members of the South Korean K-pop supergroup BTS will join the mandatory military service, starting from Jin, the oldest member of the group, it said on Monday.

“Group member Jin will initiate the process as soon as his schedule for solo release is concluded at the end of October,” Big Hit Music said in a statement.

“He will then follow the enlistment procedure of the Korean government. Other members of the group plan to carry out their military service based on their own individual plans," it added.

Under the country’s Military Service Act, it is mandatory for all able-bodied men to serve 18-21 months in the military, but global award-winning athletes and classical and traditional musicians are exempted from the service.

The BTS case was also submitted to the parliament to exempt its members from the mandatory service, however, it is still pending there, according to Yonhap News Agency.

*Writing by Islamuddin Sajid