 So, here's a quick disclaimer. You may or may not remember a video on this channel talking about how Jin would have to leave the rest of BTS on December 4th, 2020 because of a certain long-standing South Korean law. And you may also be looking at the upload date of this video and think, hey, isn't it past December 4th? Isn't Jin still here? Didn't he just perform at the 2020 Mnet Asian Music Awards a few days ago? There! That's him right there! Okay, we can all see that he's still here and he hasn't shaved his head yet. So now that that's out of the way, what happened? Was I just lying in that video? Was it just clickbait? Well, no. Everything I said in that video was true. It wasn't that my information in the video wasn't correct. It's that South Korea itself changed its mind. If you've watched this video before, I should let you know that this video is mostly the same as the last video, but I changed some of the information to reflect the recent changes in South Korean legislation in order to avoid misinformation. And I also fix some audio issues that really bugged me. But there's also a good chance that you haven't seen this video before. I mean, when this video was uploaded, we only had 37,000 subscribers. So if you haven't seen it before, enjoy. And thanks again for the 100k. If you've been following this channel, BTS really is a group that requires no introduction. The hip-hop group started in South Korea in 2013, eventually becoming the quintessential worldwide K-pop boy group phenomenon we know today around 2017. Right now, it's not an exaggeration to say that they're on top of the world. And as far as pop groups go today, they're unmatched. Their popularity is being compared to that of One Direction in their heyday. Or even the Beatles. They're the first Korean act to reach number one on the Billboard charts. And they just became the first group since the Beatles to earn three number one albums in less than a year. Just like every boy band before them, they have their own massive fan base. Their fans, known as ARMY, are some of the most passionate fans that you can find in the whole world. However, starting in December 4th, 2022, ARMY will likely see the members of BTS join the South Korean Army. You see, mandatory military service in South Korea has been around since 1948. The beginnings of South Korea as a country. This mandatory military service was so important for the new country of South Korea that it was put into its constitution as Article 39, which states that all citizens shall have the duty of national defense under the conditions as prescribed by act. This means that all physically able men from 18 to 35 must perform military service. And while women can as well, they're not required the same way men are. And if you're at all familiar with the events in Korea that happened during the 50s, you'll understand why this is so important to them. And while the Korean War had a ceasefire agreement on July 27th, 1953, it was exactly that. The ceasefire. The war technically never ended. Because of South Korea's unique relationship with their neighbors to the North, an active military has been deemed necessary. Always ready in case of a surprise attack. Something that as a possibility has never left the minds of South Koreans. So now that we have that out of the way, what exactly will be happening on December 4th, 2022? On August 1st, 2018, the South Korean government made a shocking announcement. The required age that all able-bodied males must enlist was dropped from 30 to 28. This meant that when the oldest member of BTS, Jin, turned 28 on December 4th, 2020, he would have been required to enlist according to South Korean law. We all thought Jin would be leaving us by the end of 2020. But just when it seemed like all hope was lost, Jin got an early birthday present. Only three days before Jin's birthday, on December 1st of 2020, the South Korean government made a surprise announcement that allows select K-pop stars to postpone enlistment until they turn 30 rather than 28. Effectively changing the big day of Jin's departure from December 4th of 2020 to December 4th of 2022. People are already calling it the BTS law. Perhaps the government of South Korea found the kindness in their hearts to listen to the voice of the people. Or perhaps it's because BTS rakes in almost $5 billion annually for the entire country. So you better believe that the group, and by extension, Army probably had some hand in this. And while this is definitely exciting news, just remember that this is not an exemption, but a deferment. Well, the first problem is that even before enlisting, there's an issue that prevents candidates aged 25 to 27 to only a total of five trips in the course of two years. And each trip is limited to a maximum of six months. Thankfully, another announcement by the South Korean government was made in September of 2018, reducing the length of required military service for conscripted soldiers who enlist in 2020 and after the Army and Marines are reduced from 21 months to 18 months. The Navy is reduced from 23 months to 20 months. And the Air Force has reduced from 24 months to 22 months. So really 2022 is not a bad time for our boys to join the military. If this is news to you, this whole process may seem a bit archaic. The only countries with mandatory military service longer than South Korea are Singapore at two years, Israel at two years and eight months. And finally, North Korea at 10 years. Because of the constant tension between North and South Korea, we don't expect this law requiring mandatory service to be abolished anytime soon. There have been exemptions to military service, however, particularly when it comes to the athletics and the arts, such as Son Heung-min, a football player for Tottenham Hotspurs, and world famous pianist Joseong Jin. In fact, despite its strict policies on mandatory military service, the South Korean government has introduced a staggering amount of exemptions for athletes. The first exemption was given to a wrestler Yang Jung-mo, after the 1976 Summer Olympics. And afterward, an exemption was then promised to any athlete who won a medal in either the 1986 Asian Games or the 1988 Summer Olympics. In 2002, the same promise was made to the national team if they reached the round of 16 in the FIFA World Cup, and again to the 2006 national team in baseball if they reached the semifinals in the world baseball classic. The decision to exempt athletes from military service was an extremely controversial one. And after this, public outrage The government has since scaled back on exemptions. Current regulations state that there will be special treatment given to any and all athletes who win medals in the Olympic Games or gold medals in the Asian Games. But rather than a complete exemption for military service, they are placed in grade four to be enlisted for supplemental service or the second citizen service rather than active duty service. Unless they are an exceptional case, they will not be placed in grade six, exempt. While grade four is better than active military service, they still have to do four weeks of basic military training and attend a few days of annual military training for the next few years. Aside from that, they're pretty much free to continue their own sports careers until their service is over. While complete exemptions have been scaled back, we have seen a few in recent years, including 2008 Olympic gold medalist badminton player, Lee Yongdae, 2011 swimming world champion, Park Tae-won, a 2014 Asian Games gold medalist tennis player, Chung Hyun, and of course, Sun Hongmin, a 2018 Asian Games gold medalist football player, just to name a few. While the exemption is controversial, a strong argument can be made that when it comes to sports, two or more years of military service during that person's prime could be detrimental to their career and even end it prematurely. I mean, countless news articles documented Sun Hongmin's career hanging in the balance when the Asian Games were coming to an end. And look how happy he was when he did win, not just because he won the Asian Games, but also because he didn't have to risk losing his entire career. The same thing, however, cannot be said about K-pop stars, while violinists, pianists, and ballet performers have received an exemption for military service in the past, it has never been the case with actors, directors, and yes, K-pop stars. Popular in the late 90s and early 2000s, Yu Sung-jun, also commonly known as Steve Yu, is one such K-pop star who was an exempt from the draft and decided he didn't want to serve in the military. Starting his career in 1997, Yu was the face of the K-pop industry before there really was much of an industry. He won countless music awards and consistently topped the Korean charts. But in 2002, right before he was supposed to enlist for mandatory service, he emigrated to the United States and became a naturalized American citizen. Little did he know that this decision would completely end his music career in Korea. The government considered this an act of treason, deported him and banned him from ever entering Korea again. Immediately after, Yu applied for a Korean visa at the Los Angeles South Korean Consulate, which was promptly denied. In 2015, he appealed to the Korean court to reverse the decision to deny his visa, appearing on video, pleading on his hands and knees, saying that he'll do whatever it takes to be accepted back into Korea, but he was denied once again. He tried to appeal it a final time in 2017, but after a court hearing, he was denied once more and he is no longer allowed to appeal to entry ban. Miraculously, in 2019, the Korean Supreme Court sent Yu's previously closed case back to the Seoul High Court to review, stating that the law has no restrictions preventing Steve Yu from visiting South Korea. Soon after, an appeals court reversed its earlier decision in favor of Yu, which could eventually allow him back into South Korea if all goes well with the Seoul High Court. This remains to be seen, however, and despite being banned 18 years ago, evading military services so looked down upon by the Korean public that 70% of Koreans still believe Yu should be banned forever. Perhaps the most high profile Korean celebrities to have served in the military so far have been G-Dragon and the rest of Big Bang. They played a smart and nearly all of them chose to enlist in 2018, with the exception of T.O.P., who enlisted in 2017. This resulted in the ban returning nearly all at the same time in 2019, only a few months apart from each other. So what can be done in BTS' case? Here are five possible options that I've listed from option A to option E. Option A is exemption, of course, which is preferable. This would allow BTS to continue to perform together with no mandatory military service. However, this option is already off the table due to the defense ministry's unyielding policy of no exemptions for pop stars. So let's move on to option B. Option B, one after another. This will mostly be the same information as the previous video, but since the mandatory enlistment age for K-pop stars is now 30 instead of 28, two years have been added onto every date. If we assume that each member waits to turn 30 to enlist, similar to what we can assume Jin is doing, here's a timeline we can follow. And these are all just estimates based on the birth year. The order of enlistment and return may vary. 2022, Jin leaves. BTS is 6. 2023, Suga leaves. Five members left. 2024, J-Hope and RM leave. Jin and Suga return. Five members left. 2025, Jimin and V leave, and J-Hope returns. Depending on who leaves first, we could either have three members or four members during this time. 2026, RM returns. Five members. 2027, Jimin and V return. Jungkook leaves. Six members. 2029, Jungkook returns. And BTS is 7. There are several strange things that will happen to the group if they choose to enlist one after another. First off, for some of 2024, until Suga returns, they won't even have a rapper unless you count Jungkook, with the remaining members being Jin, Jimin, V and Jungkook. In 2025, there's a chance that BTS will have only three members with Jin, Suga and Jungkook. And finally, there may be a chance we see an OT7 reunion for about three brief months from June to September of 2027, right before Jungkook leaves. But after that, they will only be six until 2029. That's nine whole years from now. And remember, these are just estimates based on their dates of birth. They may choose to enlist earlier if they want to. Option C is what I'll call the Big Bang maneuver. They all enlist together at nearly the same time. This will require the entire group going on a two year hiatus and returning again all at the same time. It was possible for Big Bang considering that all four members were born within three years of each other. But with BTS having seven members that have an age range of six years, it just seems like a lot to ask considering that the youngest member, Jungkook, will only be 25 by the time Jin needs to enlist. And while it's possible, consider that Jungkook will continue to be a talented artist, even if the rest of BTS is not present. He would be missing out on the freedom to experiment, see great potential personal growth, and pursue solo projects during this time. Option D is what I will call the Phantone solution, posted by Quora user Danelle Phantone while doing research for this video. He suggests that the enlistment can be staggered and done in two to three staggered groups, with the groups having at least one rapper and one vocalist, one English speaker, and one golden. This ensures that there will always be a group ready for concerts and promotions, as well as a comeback by 2023 or 2025 if we had two years with the new legislation. Now option E is are you ready? Wait until the draft is abolished or Korea is reunified. Now for either of those, don't hold your breath. But it is possible. No matter what option BTS chooses, Jin says he's ready to serve, as is the sacred duty of every South Korean citizen. Now what do you think they'll do? What do you think the future holds for BTS? If there's a suggestion that hasn't been discussed in the video, let me know in the comments. The original video came out in February of 2020, back when we had less than half the subscribers we do now, and the great feedback and support we've received since then have been absolutely enormous. First off, if you've been with us since then, thanks for watching it twice. And I guess even if you're new, a big thanks for all the love and support. Also, keep an eye out for the next big update to this video in 2022. Thanks for watching. Hey guys, if you like our video and want to support our channel in any way, buy us a coffee on Kofi. There's a link in the description below. Thank you so much for your continued support.