K-pop star BTS’ Suga will serve as a social worker in the military, military, and music industry sources said on Dec 13, 2022, Tuesday.
They said the 29-year-old rapper was deployed as a social worker, not an active-duty soldier. However, details, including when he will be drafted, remain unknown.
Suga, who was born in 1993, has been delayed until the end of next year under a revised law that allows “those who have excelled in pop culture and the arts” to defer until they turn 30. In South Korea, all able-bodied men are required to serve 18 to 21 months in the military.
Social service worker service is an alternative form of military service in South Korea for people who are deemed unfit to serve on military bases on variety of factors, including health, financial hardship, and family circumstances.
In Suga’s case, a shoulder injury in a traffic accident in 2012 is suspected to have contributed to his eligibility.
Social service workers are not affiliated with the military, but serve in a variety of government agencies and charities — from schools and government buildings to local car parks, nursing homes and subway stations. Served 3 months longer than the South Korean Army – 21 months, including 3 weeks of basic military training.
The band’s management company, Big Hit Music, declined to confirm the news.
“(Members) will enter the army in the order in which they are individually planned,” it said. “We are unable to confirm any information regarding their personal affairs.”
It was unclear why Suga was assigned to the non-active duty position, which is reserved for men with medical conditions. Some say it may have something to do with the surgery he underwent in 2020 to repair a torn labrum.
Jin, the band’s oldest member, will begin active duty later in the day.
