BTS might be part of the new President-elect Yoon Seok Yeol's inauguration ceremony on May 10. Park Joo Sun, the inauguration preparations chairman, revealed the group's performance for the event is now in talks.
Park Joo Sun graced KBS radio's "Joo Jin Woo Live" and talked about the inauguration preparations. When asked about BTS's inclusion in the event, he neither denied nor confirmed their appearance.
The Commission on Presidential Transition visited the group's agency, HYBE, on April 2 and discussed ways to develop pop culture, AllKpop noted. Park said they are now preparing for the ceremony and President Yoon wanted to focus on the core content than the flashy appearance.
The President wanted to hold inauguration to let people continue to dream. He also brushed on the idea that former President Park Geun Hye would attend the event but cleared they were still waiting for how things would go.
He even revealed it is President Yoon's wish to meet the former leader of South Korea before the inauguration ceremony takes place. Meanwhile, talking about the meeting between the new President's transition committee and Hybe's officials, a high-ranking official revealed they had not yet discussed BTS's possible military service exemption.
However, this topic would still be in talks and might be discussed in the new administration. At the meeting, President Yoon's presidential transition committee chief Ahn Cheol-soo told the reporters no one mentioned anything about the military service, per Korea Herald.
"It is something that should be decided in the newly launched (Yoon) government, after discussion with the National Assembly," he said. This just seemed to hint they have left the door open for discussing the group's military service in the future.
Ahn and his team had a meeting with the Hybe Chairman Bang Si-hyuk, who gets credit for the global success of BTS. The group mostly talked about what the new administration could do for the entertainment industry and start-ups in general.
Bang knew the COVID-19 pandemic had severely impacted the entertainment industry, and they might do something about that.
Before the topic of their talk was confirmed, there were rumors the meeting would be about the exemption of Jin, Suga, J-Hope, RM, Jimin, V and Jungkook from mandatory military service. In South Korea, all abled-body men need to serve in the Armed Forces for about two years.
But as the recipients of the fifth-class Hwagwan Order of Cultural Merit, BTS can prolong their enlistments until they are 30 years old.
