Discussion 5 by Davison Donnelly
- Asia327Student
- Nov 21, 2018
- 3 min read
What complications would ensue if pop stars were granted exemption from mandatory military service? Should they be exempted? On what grounds?
I don’t think pop stars should be exempt from military service, and believe such exemption could be very damaging to the concept of mandatory service and the military itself.
In analyzing potential complications that may arise form pop star exemption it is first Important to understand the key role mandatory military service plays in Korean Society. Since1957 all young men have been required to serve in the military for a portion of time. This shared experience of military service has been seen as essential by leaders of Korea, such as ParkChung-Hee, to shape a Korean national identity. (Doobo 2014: 500) Since the 2000s there have been a number of scandals in which elite people in society have used their influence to have their family members exempt from required service. These scandals have enraged the public, who have witnessed the “repeated unequal application of the supposedly most fundamental and indiscriminating duty” (Yeo 2017: 299) If pop stars were exempt from service, it could cause a legitimacy crisis in the principle mandatory service and the idea of a shared national identity, which is based on a universal sharing of the national security burden, regardless of background.
If pop stars were exempt form service it could also undermine one of the military’s main appeal to men, which is service is seen as essential to being a real man, “The government ideologically constructed military service as a critical element of masculinity” (Han, Shinhea, and Park 2017: 63) If Korean men see pop stars being exempt from service, but still being seen in society as high status men, with societal respect and female admiration, average men may be less willing to serve.
Since many Korean men see mandatory service as wasting an important time in their life. It is important for the Government to market the military as appealing to youth, most countries do this with their militaries, and celebrities are seen as a great way achieve this, “Marketers consider celebrity endorsement as one of the most reliable and critical communication strategies” (Park and Avery 2016: 606) In England Prince Harry’s service in military brought a big boost to morale when enlistment in the services was at a major low, and his service oversees, “transformed Afghanistan into a celebrated adventure,” (Yeo 2017: 295) In Korea mandatory service of pop stars has generated lots of free publicity and advertising for military service, “highly publicized conduct of male celebrities negotiating the issue of their compulsory military service, which have turned increasingly into media spectacles since the mid-1990s.” (Ibid., 296) One of the most notable cases of this was when actor Hyunbin volunteered his service in the marine corps, “The Marine Corps enjoyed a huge promotional effect from the enlistment of an actor as news reports continuously updated fans on Hyunbin” (Ibid., 305) The praise Hyunbin got from the media for enlisting marines also encourages other men to do the same.
Although mandatory service presents potential negative impacts on an idols career, this doesn’t outweigh the benefit the Korean military receives from having them be a part of it, and the danger of delegitimize of mandatory service if they were exempt.
Work Cited
Doobo, Shim. 2014. THE CYBER BULLYING OF POP STAR TABLO AND SOUTH KOREAN SOCIETY: HEGEMONIC DISCOURSES ON EDUCATIONAL BACKGROUND AND MILITARY SERVICE. Acta Koreana 17, (1) (06): 479-504,
Han, Woori, Claire Shinhea Lee, and Ji Hoon Park. 2017. Gendering the authenticity of the military experience: Male audience responses to the korean reality show real men. Media, Culture & Society 39 (1): 62-76.
Park, Sejin, and Elizabeth Johnson Avery. 2016. Effects of patriotism and celebrity endorsement in military advertising. Journal of Promotion Management 22 (5): 605-19.
Yeo, Yezi. 2017. The good, the bad, and the forgiven: The media spectacle of south korean male celebrities’ compulsory military service. Media, War & Conflict 10 (3): 293-313.
I think that was definitely and insightful response. However I do think we need to look at this from the political perspective. At the end of the day North and South Korea are still at war and North Korea is a national threat. As citizens, South Koreans have a duty to protect their country. On the other hand, not everyone is made to fit into the “military Mold” and by forcing all Korean male citizens into the military there are dangerous consequences. This can be seen by the high yearly suicide rates. In particular, Idols don’t differ from regular citizens in reality. They’re expected to maintain an image that exceeds the standard of a normal citizen. That alone is…
Thanks for your post, Davison! I also agree with your statement that idols should not be exempt from the mandatory military service. As you stated, it is obvious that most Korean men are not eager to join the military, for it takes away roughly 2 years of their lives. Within this context, I think that the South Korean government especially want their celebrities to join the military to show that there all men are being treated fairly. There have been many scandals in which the sons of rich and powerful families have been discreetly allowed public service in place of actual military service, despite there being no just reason to do so. This placed distrust of the system within the hearts…
Thank you for your insightful response! You have definitely highlighted the major complications of mandatory military service. That being said, Ky described military service as a “rite of passage and is a process of transforming boys into men”, which I found to be an interesting point. I think the role that masculinity plays in Korean society stems back to the roots of Korean history in which sacrificing yourself and protecting your country is seen as heroic and admirable. As decades went by, the less willing men became to wanting to serve their country. Instead, it gradually became more admirable for men to be seen as the “breadwinner” of his family by finding a well-paying and well-respected job. The idea of…
Thanks for sharing your response, Davison. I agree with your opinion of how it is best for male idols to conform to the Korean cultural norms and undertake their military service. Otherwise, they would face serious consequences that would greatly damage their careers. As Dr. Saeji mentioned in lecture as well as Davison pointed out, military service in Korea serves as a rite of passage and is a process of transforming boys into men; thus, when a Korean male celebrity is seen as trying to evade a mandatory military service, it becomes widely publicized as a scandal by the news and the individual is severely condemned by the public. Another reason behind this negative view is that pop stars are…