Who is Faker and Why He Deserved a Military Exemption More Than BTS?
The band's fans were shocked to learn of Faker.
Without a doubt, BTS is one of the most popular bands on the planet right now, all thanks to the huge amount of exposure that K-Pop has enjoyed in the past few years. However, South Korea is not the USA, so BTS was forced to go on hiatus when the band's members were conscripted into the Korean armed forces.
Yes, in South Korea, all young men have to serve in the military for at least 18 months, and even huge stars like BTS members are not exempt from military conscription.
However, it looks like the Korean government may have decided to relax military conscription rules somewhat, seeing how they've just exempted another famous Korean from military service. We're talking about Faker. So, who is Faker, and why does he get to avoid military service when even BTS members have to do it?
True Legend
Faker's real name is Lee Kyung-Joon, and he is a professional gamer widely regarded as one of the best League of Legends players in the world. Faker has been competing professionally with the SK Telecom T1 team since 2013, making over $1.25 million in prize money. However, despite his legendary status in the gaming world, many fans are at a loss as to why the South Korean government decided to exempt him from military service.
Needless to say, BTS is far more popular than Faker ever was, and the amount of money they will have paid the Korean government in taxes is far greater than what Faker has. However, Faker does have one thing that BTS lacks: prestige.
Future Medalist
The thing is, for the first time in history, e-gaming has been recognized as a medal event in the Asian Games, and Faker is the poster child of how great South Koreans are at video games. He is the only person in Korea who can actually win a gold medal in gaming, so he was exempted from military service.
And thus, the Korean government must have figured that while BTS also presents South Korea as a great country, they don't compete for world medals in global sports events, so they might as well spend some time in the military.