kpop1-9, Exercise 3: Military service and other disputes

Model answer:

Since 1957 South Korea has required male citizens aged 18 to 35 to do compulsory military service; the Military Service Act allows few special cases, and the Korean idol article says no exceptions are made for idols. A law passed in December 2020 allows notable K-pop artists a two-year extension, raising the enlistment age from 28 to 30. The conscription article says "some resources and media outlets claim" the main reason was Jin of BTS, who was about to turn 28 - a claim about motive attributed to unnamed outlets. BTS members completed service by June 2025.

Another argument (any one): sexualisation and appearance pressure (laws and guidelines exist, criticism continues); cultural appropriation (the article records accusations and a view that borrowing is not automatically negative, so it is an open argument); plagiarism accusations (no case or finding given); average earnings (the article's figures hide wide differences).

Sources: Wikipedia, Conscription in South Korea; K-pop; Korean idol; BTS.