#"King of Mask Singer" (2021). "Baritone" Kim Ju Taek appeared before the audience.

A deep and rich voice/ Delicate and detailed in technique and emotional performance/ No. 1 in The Toulouse International Vocal Competition/ The star of the next generation of European classical music, baritone Kim Ju Taek.

# "Phantom Singer" season 3 (2020). 'Base' Gil Byung-min had just finished delivering an emotional performance. How did the judges react?

"I think he's qualified enough to be a member of the national team. I really enjoyed the stage from the youngest bass winner of the Toulouse International Vocal Competition. Thank you."

# Gil Byung-min also appeared on "King of Mask Singer" in 2021. The host, Kim Sung Joo had this to say as he introduced the baritone.

"This is Gil Byung-min, the handsome vocalist of the crossover group "Letteamor", who came in third place in Phantom Singer 3!"

The text below also read,

World-renowned vocalist/ London Royal Opera selection/ Youngest bass winner at The Toulouse International Competition/ Leader Gil Byung-min of the four-member group "Letteamore."

#"Mr. Trot" (2020) 100 preliminary rounds. Kang Tae-kwan introduces himself.

"I'm Kang Tae Kwan, and I've been playing pansori for 20 years." When I was 21 years old, I played at the Jeonju Daesa Habitual Play for the pansori general departmartment.”

To Kang Tae Kwan, "Mr. Trot" had given him a number of titles and labels. The baritone star was coined as the Pansori Trot Man, Ppong Sori Master, and Korean Traditional Music Trot Standard.

Kim Ju Taek, Gil Byung-min, and Kang Tae-kwan were all former students of the Academy of he Arts. Kim Ju Taek and Gil Byung-min topped the Toulouse International Competition. Kang Tae-kwan is the winner of the pansori category of the Jeonju Daesa Habitual Play.

The Toulouse International Vocal Competition and Jeonju Daehak Nori are recognized by the head of the Military Manpower Administration. The classical singing competitions received an opportunity for military exemption in accordance with Article 33 of the Military Service Act.

The issue surrounding the military exemption is not simply a discussion of sending BTS to the military. However, one must be well-versed with the system before putting the group up to the chopping board.

What is an art agent? Why was the physical education agent created in the first place? Furthermore, it is significant to consider the overall subject of military service exemption, such as professional research personnel, industrial institution personnel, and boarding reserve personnel.

Below is the answer to what an art agent is. We had conducted interviews with former members of the said art agent. The format is as seen below; short question and answers. Dispatch has provided the answers.

(It was organized based on the data of the Military Manpower Administration that we personally received. We conducted interviews with former members of the art agent. Below are the set of questions and answers.)

Q: Who, when, why, created the art staff system?

D: Violinist Kang Dong-seok won the San Francisco Competition in 1971. At the time, his victory was deemed a miracle in Korea. However, Kang Dong-seok wandered overseas for 10 years without stepping on Korean soil. Military service was a big problem. The Park Chung-hee administration established an art staff system, saying, "Let's not lose Korean cultural resources."

Q: We are curious about the background of the birth of the sports personnel system.

D: 1972 Munich Olympics. North Korea won one gold, one silver and three bronze medals. On the other hand, Korea had only one silver medal. The Park Chung-hee administration had been "King" (in modern words). The administration had decided that special measures were needed to foster players. The government had taken out military exemption cards to motivate players. It was the beginning of the making of athletes.

Q: Then what about the industrial and professional research staff system?

D: Scientists who have studied abroad are often reluctant to return home due to military service problems. In 1973, securing industrial technology and professional research personnel emerged as a national challenge. The Park Chung-hee administration established a system of industrial researchers and professional researchers for the development of the national industry. Instead of serving in the military, they gave "carrot" to serve in the industrial function field.

If we look back to the art staff system,

The Military Manpower Administration provides alternative service opportunities only for winners of 42 competitions (119 categories), including 28 international music competitions, nine international dance competitions, and five domestic competitions.

Dispatch surveyed winners of 42 competitions designated by the Military Manpower Administration. So far, only about 180 people have won second place in international competitions and first place in domestic competitions. (excluding women and foreigners)

Q: Not many people are selected for the art agent. Not as much as we had initially thought.

D: In fact, Dispatch's full investigation is not perfect. There were some limitations during the judgement on an individual's gender simply by their names. Therefore, we used the data of the Military Manpower Administration, <Status of Incorporation of Arts and Sports Personnel>. Data from 2015-2019 were available.

According to the Military Manpower Administration, 258 art and sports people were given a chance to be exempt from the military service. Dispatch has selected the artists from art agents. It is estimated that roughly 140 people have been incorporated into the arts center in five years. If it's 140 people every five years, it's about 28 people a year who are allowed into the agency.

Q: How does it differ compared to professional researchers and industrial technicians?

D: This is five years worth of data, by the Military Manpower Administration. First of all, the number of people who have been transferred to professional research is 12,538. The number of people who transferred to industrial institutions is 55,202. The number of people to be transferred on board is 4,783. A total of 72,523 people were professional research and industrial support personnel who received the opportunity for exemption.

Dispatch compared it to an art and physical education agent. It is 0.36% of professional researchers and industrial technical staff (72,523 people). We separated the art crew. It was about 0.19% of all military service exemptions. A specialist researcher has a master's degree in science and engineering, and works as a substitute at a research institution. Industrial technical personnel work for industries instead of the typical military service.

Dispatch found the names of Kim Ji-soo, Gil Byung-min, and Kang Tae-kwan on the list of winners of the competition. Kim Seol-jin (National Rookie Dance Competition), the winner of "Dancing 9," and Ahn Nam-geun (Seoul International Dance Competition), a participant in "Dancing 9" season 2, were also on the list.

Park Ji-hyung, a classical guitar player, was also written. He was runner-up in the 2017 Michele Pitaluga Classic Guitar Competition. He is the first Korean guitarist.

Q : We're curious about Cho Seong Jin.

D: Cho Sung-jin won the Hamamatsu International Piano Competition in 2009 when he was in his third year at Yewon School. At the age of 15, he was given the opportunity to be exempted from his military service that he'd have to face as an adult. In 2011, he finished his third year in the Tchaikovsky International Piano Competition. A sophomore at the Seoul Arts High School became a star of Tchaikovsky.

In 2015, Cho Sung-jin was the first Korean to win at the Chopin International Piano Competition. It was a historical event that not only took Korea by surprise, but the whole world. Even more surprisingly, Cho Sung-jin's status at the time was an art agent. In other words, Cho won Chopin during the opportunity given to him, to be exempted.

Q: Most people think of 'military alternative' as 'military exemption'

D: Artistic personnel, like sports personnel, receive four weeks of basic military training. After that,they have to work in the special field for 34 months and fill 544 hours of volunteer work. In fact, Cho Sung-jin served as an art agent from August 2013 to June 2016.

There's an interesting story behind this. Cho Sung-jin also spent four weeks in the training camp. Some people claim that it takes a total of two weeks to undo things you learned in the military after discharge. If it weren't for the art agent system, would we have been to meet this Chopin winner?

Soccer player Jang Hyun-soo played for the national team at the 2014 Asian Games. He won a gold medal and even got the chance for exemption. However, he was permanently expelled from the national team for falsifying his performance as a sportsman.

"Baseball players" Park Hae-min and Oh Ji-hwan were selected as the national team for the 2018 Asian Games. At that time, the two were not selected for the A team. Disputes arose over preferential treatment. However, the two athletes were still exempted from their service.

Q: What are the side effects of the military service exemption system?

D: 2018 Asian Games. Head coach Sun Dong-yeol (baseball) and coach Huh Jae (basketball) handed in their resignation letters on their own. Head coach Sun Dong-yeol found himself in the midst of controversy due to his choice in selecting Park Hae-min and Oh Ji-hwan, and head coach Huh Jae was also enwrapped in controversy for choosing players related by blood to himself, Huh Woong and Huh Hoon. The Short track team were also not free of judgement.

What about the art staff system? There are those who disagree with the system, claiming that international competitions are an excuse for an "exempt road." As one lawmaker claimed, some competitions are treated as 'unheard-of'. The issue of equity is constant. There are also complaints that they are more lenient with traditional instruments, traditional dance, and traditional sound majors. Does the system need to be abolished?

Q: Is the alternative service necessary?

D: Son Heung-min belongs to Tottenham. At the same time, he is a Korean sports agent. The EPL records Son Heung-min made were within the boundaries of alternative service (34 months). He also continued his volunteer work during the forced march. On the 6th, he filled all 544 hours (volunteer activities) specified in the sports personnel service regulations.

If there were no sports personnel system, would we be able to enjoy "Sonny" at Tottenham Theater? Son Heung-min is currently a Korean and Asian who is on the EPL scoring list. Of course, there will be players with low contributions. However, removing the system is like the logic of "not planting pumpkins because of a rainy season."

Dispatch confirmed the number of people who were transferred to military service in 2018. The number of professional researchers was 2,772. There were 13,446 industrial functional personnel and 893 on-board workers. On the other hand, there were only 29 art workers that year.

The Korea Institute of Culture and Tourism commented, "The art staff system is a system that protects the artistic achievements of Korean society from being lost by incorporating a small number of art personnel with the best skills." It is not a system that rewards the winners of the competition.

We dwelled on their answers for a little bit.

Q: What is the logic of those who claim to need art agents?

D: Kang Soo-jin comes to mind, but Kim Ki-min (Valerino) also does. The dancer won the Best Male Dance Award in 2016 at the Benois de la Danse, which leads to the Academy of Ballet. Cho Sung-jin will come to mind first, but there is also preference. He became the first Korean to win the Van Clyburn International Piano Competition in 2017.

In fact, Korean artists' entry into the international stage is quite competitive. The number of cases of joining famous overseas art groups have increased, thanks to the art staff system. It is a fact that an artist's career is at their peek in their twenties. It's then when they're most seen on international stages. Without military service exceptions, it is impossible for male artists to enter the international stage during such a crucial time in their careers.

Q : isn't this an individual achievement?

D: Choo earned 180 billion won (before tax) in the Major League. Park Chan-ho's cumulative salary is 106 billion won. Ryu Hyun-jin took 103.3 billion won. Son Heung-min's weekly salary is 320 million won. The income from Tottenham is estimated to be around 50 billion won. Every athlete runs for personal achievement.

Artists also work for their personal goals. When you enter the international stage, the Korean nationality is put before your name. The world-class pianist born in Korea, the world-class violinist born in Korea, the world-class ballerino born in Korea... Artists and sportsmen, the way they compete is different, but their achievement leads to national prestige.

National prestige: Raising awareness and knowledge of Korea. Promoting our culture.

The promotion of Korean culture is at an all-time high in 2022. Would it be possible to discuss the promotion of Korea without mentioning Kpop? Discussions have been raised that the scope of recognition of art personnel should be expanded to pop culture workers according to current trends.

Q : Would it be possible to exclude BTS from the discussion of the promotion of South Korea?

D: According to the Korea Culture and Tourism Institute, the economic ripple effect of BTS concerts is up to 1.2207 trillion won. If there are 10 concerts, the economic effect will reach 12 trillion won. If global ARMY accounts for half of the audience, the consumption generation will be 742.2 billion won, the production inducement effect will be 1.2207 trillion won, and the value-added inducement effect will be 570.5 billion won.a

Las Vegas has already experienced these benefits. The number of people who gathered at the Bellagio fountain show alone is 200,000. 114,000 people visited the pop-up store and photo exhibition. That's twice the number of CES visitors (45,000). More than 10,000 people visited BTS Korean restaurants, and 3,500 BTS theme rooms held at 11 hotels under MGM were sold out.

Q: The prejudice that popular culture is not art?

D: The current military service law is stuck in times as if it is still 1973. It has not revised or have been reformed. In the year 1973, Korea was still struggling with sports and had not been able to envision musicians that would turn out to be a global phenomenon.

It's been 50 years. K-pop has taken over the world. Some people refer to BTS concerts as the 'Olympics. People from all over the world wave their national flags. It is without a doubt that BTS is the number one contributor to the promotion of Korea. They are the leading force in the expansion of Korean culture and the awareness it had to the rest of the world. The economic effect BTS had on the country doesn't need any more explaining.

However, BTS was excluded from the list of art agents because they are a leading force in pop culture. Their promotion of national prestige, cultural development, economic effectiveness, and industrial creation are outside the military service law. In 1995, the National Assembly made a special law, saying, "Lee Chang-ho's Go is an art form." In 2022, the debate in the National Assembly is still ongoing.

Military service law, in fact, is ambiguous. One can be a vocalist, but not a K-pop singer. One may be a dancer, but not be a b-boy. (Of course, b-boying is possible if adopted as an Olympic sport.) Classic guitars are available, but not electric guitars.

Trot singer Kang Tae-kwan is the owner of the Jeonju Daesa Habitual Play. The singer also served as an art agent. Gil Byung-min of Letteamor is the winner of the Toulouse Competition. The singer finished his military service as a substitute. They now work in the genre of pop culture.

Q : In what direction do we see the Military Service act moving in 2022?

The history of military service law has been thoroughly centered on the 'national interest'. The art agent was made based on the judgment that classical talent was needed. After falling behind in the sports competition (in North Korea), a new sports agent was created. When industrial development was a national task, professional researchers and industrial agencies were added (the current proportion of professionals accounts for 99% of military service exemptions)

The trend of military service laws has been generally aligned with current times. When Lee Chang-ho needed to win the game of Go, he applied under a special law. When the Taegeuk Warriors desperately needed to advance to the semifinals, they raised their spirits with special laws. What about 2022? This is an era where BTS has created an incredible amount for KOREA. However, the Korean military service law still relies on international competitions designated by UNESCO.

<Research=Choi Yoonjung·Lee Suh Jung Intern reporters>

<Translated by=Justina Kim(Dispatch)>