Will BTS Get Military Exemption?
Added 2018-09-12 09:22:32 +0000 UTCDanny From the Seoul Ep. 5
1:58 - Depressed people in the military
12:30 - Will BTS get military exemption?
29:45 - Why we need personal finance classes in schools
Comments
Thanks Danny, your podcasts are helping me get through some product testing. 1. Drinking is expensive. 2. My parents and grandparents were/are very good savers and so were my husband’s parents. In turn my husband and I saved well and I can say, it does make a big difference – so, yes teach your kids how to save 3. Saving can be a fun game – as lame as that sounds – shopping around for the best value items, thinking of cost-effective substitutes. 4. As you alluded to it is all about balance – you need to live life but you do need to save – it is important to save when you are young – time value of money is powerful!!!
Jade F.
2019-03-21 00:46:00 +0000 UTCHello! I live in the US, and as you asked for other opinions, I feel I should comply, late though it may be. In regards to the issue of whether BTS should receive exemption from military service or not, I've discussed it a few times with some of my friends before. I feel it comes down to two key issues. Namely, what BTS means to the world and what BTS means to Korea. BTS has garnered international attention and support for their multiple media outlets, creativity, genuineness, and most of all, music. They have a story to tell that most people relate to, and they have become one of the most successful group of artists to transcend barriers and languages in doing so. Even now, they have yet to reach their peak, and what that will be, no one can yet foresee. Therefore, if BTS members were made to go to the military, it seems only natural to assume that this international bridge they've been building would collapse with many other people hoping to fill the gaps, but not succeeding fully. Additionally, it would be a large blow to the morale of the international community who feel a sense of connectivity and empathy with what BTS has to say. However, on the other hand, if they were to go to the military for their allotted time, I feel that it would come to two main sentiments from Koreans (and I only share on what I have observed of the culture there and of people in general): pride and approval for BTS not trying to evade this necessary task or some apprehensions and sadness at losing BTS as forerunners of cultural awareness and Korean values in an international spotlight (this coming from viewing/reading several interviews conducted of Korean citizens who extol praise on BTS for bringing Korea to the international stage through their art and take pride in the fact). Yet, as Danny says, their service might encourage others to view it in more positive mindset. Lastly, I wonder how it would feel to the BTS members themselves. None can truly know what they think, but drawing from my own experiences, I feel that they would be torn between wanting to create new music, new stories and sharing experiences with ARMY (they have often cited music as being an outlet for their emotions and a way to cope with problems that arise in their lives) and between wanting to uphold their personal pride and fulfill the customary practices of Korean society. Clearly, I don't fully know how Koreans perceive the idea of military service or how they may feel specifically about BTS partaking in it, but this is the conclusion I have reached through my own personal experiences and what information I have been able to learn. (Sorry for such an essay--I only wanted to share my thoughts clearly and as completely as I could).
Simrun Hundal
2019-03-16 19:56:44 +0000 UTCCould you make another podcast touching personal finance and about what you have learned and how are you applying it to your life?
Andou G O
2018-10-03 16:49:41 +0000 UTCWhen I was in Jr high I had a class called Family and Consumer Education that taught you how to create a monthly budget and take out a loan as well as some rudimentary skills like basic cooking and food safety. I don't think this was a normal thing in the US, but it should be.
3xdeadsmith
2018-09-14 14:54:13 +0000 UTCI am on the same boat as you about deferments instead of exemptions. I'm pretty sure 38 year old athletes would be much more fit for combat than most college kids in their early twenties. And thank you for your family's service at the Korean War, if there's one thing that the military service taught me was to be thankful for everyone who sacrificed for our country's freedom.
DKDKTV
2018-09-14 04:53:52 +0000 UTCYeah I think the problem with the logic like "look at how much money BTS is making for us!" is pretty dangerous because there are heirs of conglomerates that run giant companies that make multiples of what BTS makes. I highly doubt that the public would be too pleased about letting the rich kids get a pass too lol. So in the end it's just not worth the confusion. As for personal finance, I really hope Korea gets something like that. Even after graduating college I know nothing about how to properly do the taxes and shit lol.
DKDKTV
2018-09-14 04:51:04 +0000 UTCYeah balancing saving up for the long term and saving up for a trip can be pretty difficult, and it's tempting to just say fuck it and spend it all. It really doesn't hit you until you come across an emergency or your old that you should've saved what little was left.
DKDKTV
2018-09-13 02:47:42 +0000 UTCI think that's a good idea Frank. I'll try to talk about my personal stuff in a more societal aspect next time.
DKDKTV
2018-09-13 01:20:22 +0000 UTCI would be interested in you and David having a discussion about military exemptions and specifically about pop-stars potentially receiving an exemption. Overall I don't have too many issues about exemptions. Personally I think the SK government should offer deferments instead of exemptions in many cases; particularly for the athletes. I have some brief personal connection with the SK Navy as I served on temporary assignment as a liaison/consultant. I also had several family members who served in the US military in the Korean War campaign, including one who was killed in SK.
Frank Ansak
2018-09-12 16:30:08 +0000 UTCAs usually nice musical out-tro. I like it when you talk about "personal-shit". Maybe better case senario is that (which you are already doing) you associate your personal experiences/attitudes more directly to the overall societal outlooks. And or spend more time on the different social attitudes versus your own?
Frank Ansak
2018-09-12 16:13:12 +0000 UTCPersonal finances is the one thing about adulting that I never really learnt about until recently as well. I might only be 21, but where I live you are seen as an adult in all aspects at 18 - and people just expect you to know everything. Like I can do my taxes, pay my car + insurance + necessities each month but saving that little money left over, didn’t come to mind until recently. I have a bit of savings for emergencies but I have had to make peace with the fact that in my current situation (i.e. the last 6 months) it will take me 2 years to save up for a 1 week (maybe 2 week) trip to a foreign country - and that time increases/decreases every time our currency drops against other countries. I just feel like personal finance would have made me realize that much sooner.
Dom
2018-09-12 13:18:10 +0000 UTCThanks for another amazing podcast! As an ARMY I hope that BTS doesn’t get a military exemption. It would set a weird standard that some level of international fame can get you out of fulfilling something that is required of all healthy men. Would this exemption only apply to BTS? How famous do idols need to be in order to be considered for exemption? Would it be based on album sales, streams, number of world tours? A lot of male idols would probably have some amount of resentment towards BTS for getting out of their military service when they can’t. I feel like it’s one big slippery slope and a lot of gray areas will arise from it if you let one idol group be exempt but not the others that have done well overseas. Then a lot of idol groups may try to focus primarily on promoting overseas just so they can boost their international fame and say “hey, look at what we’re contributing to the country in revenue!” in hopes to get an exemption. As an American I certainly don’t understand the in’s and out’s of Korean life and society but I could see an outrage happening based on the idea of fairness that you talked about. Also, your talk about personal finance is spot on. I’m almost 24 and unless you major in business or economics you get no education on that in America. I think my county decided to require a personal finance class to graduate from high school a few years after I graduated, but I’m not sure if that ever happened or not. It would definitely be nice if schools could do a better job preparing students for life (how to do taxes, buy a house/rent an apartment, etc) instead of just assuming our parents will teach us.
Katie Smith
2018-09-12 12:58:57 +0000 UTC
