In South Korea, their government requires each able-bodied man between the ages of 18-35 to do at least 21 months of military service. The South Korean government has this rule in place due to their neighbors north of them, North Korea, and their recent nuclear threats.
There has been a lot of controversy around this topic of required military service globally. At the center of the attention is Korean band, BTS. BTS is a world famous ban made up of seven guys with their ages ranging 21-25. They have two chart-topping albums this year along with taking home an American Music Award for Favorite Social Artist, but all of this does not excuse them from their mandatory service.
Some of the rare circumstances that would excuse from your service are athletes who bring home medals in international competitions, acclaimed artists, classical musicians and dancers, while pop stars, filmmakers or actors are not excused. The most recent excuse issued was the South Korean Men's soccer team after they earned gold at Asian Games tournament.
South Korea's Prime Minister, Lee Nak-yon, wants to adjust the exemption system. He told his military last month "to come up with a more reasonable measure by reflecting the public's growing demands." Also, the Defense Ministry plans to scrap nearly all exemption to military services along with reducing the number of troops from 618,000 to 500,000. In addition, they plan on cutting the number of mandatory months of service from 21 to 18.
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This article raises the question of do you think that the South Korean government should let certain type of people be exempted from their service? Why or why not? Also, do you think that the U.S. should implement this system of requiring men above 18 years old to do a certain amount of mandatory service? Why or why not? If so, would 18 months be a reasonable amount of time?
There has been a lot of controversy around this topic of required military service globally. At the center of the attention is Korean band, BTS. BTS is a world famous ban made up of seven guys with their ages ranging 21-25. They have two chart-topping albums this year along with taking home an American Music Award for Favorite Social Artist, but all of this does not excuse them from their mandatory service.
Some of the rare circumstances that would excuse from your service are athletes who bring home medals in international competitions, acclaimed artists, classical musicians and dancers, while pop stars, filmmakers or actors are not excused. The most recent excuse issued was the South Korean Men's soccer team after they earned gold at Asian Games tournament.
South Korea's Prime Minister, Lee Nak-yon, wants to adjust the exemption system. He told his military last month "to come up with a more reasonable measure by reflecting the public's growing demands." Also, the Defense Ministry plans to scrap nearly all exemption to military services along with reducing the number of troops from 618,000 to 500,000. In addition, they plan on cutting the number of mandatory months of service from 21 to 18.
CLICK HERE to view the whole article
This article raises the question of do you think that the South Korean government should let certain type of people be exempted from their service? Why or why not? Also, do you think that the U.S. should implement this system of requiring men above 18 years old to do a certain amount of mandatory service? Why or why not? If so, would 18 months be a reasonable amount of time?
Interesting post, Colin. I tend to think that if we instituted something like this in our country there would be a huge backlash. At the same time, though, does it make sense to support any war effort if we aren't willing ourselves to serve in the military? Something to think about.
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