SPECIES LIKE THIS IN THE WILD. IN THE COMING DAYS, A MEMBER OF THE K-POP SUPERGROUP WILL REPORT FOR MILITARY DUTY. DESPITE BRINGING BILLIONS OF DOLLARS TO SOUTH KOREA'S ECONOMY AND HAVING ADORING FANS AROUND THE WORLD, MALE K-POP PERFORMER STILL HAVE TO SERVE IN THE MILITARY. IT'S FUELING A GROWING DEBATE OVER WHETHER THEY SHOULD BE EXEMPT. ABC'S JUDY CHO HAS THE DETAILS FROM SEOUL, SOUTH KOREA. >> THEY ARE JUGGERNAUTS IN THE WORLD OF K-POP. BOY BANDS LIKE IN CTE NCT AND -- AND HYPHEN, XO AND OF COURSE, BTS. THEY'VE SOLD MILLIONS OF RECORDS AND PERFORMED IN FRONT OF THOUSANDS OF SCREAMING FANS. THEIR POPULARITY IS DRIVEN BY THE ONGOING GLOBAL FASCINATION WITH K-POP. BUT ALL OF THESE BANDS MUST ALSO FACE ONE OF THEIR BIGGEST CHALLENGES, ALSO FACING AT THE HEIGHT OF ONE OF THEIR BIGGEST -- MILITARY CONSCRIPTION IS MANDATORY FOR ALL SOUTH KOREAN MEN BETWEEN THE AGES OF 18 TO 28. SOUTH KOREA IS LIVING UNDER THE CONSTANT THREAT OF A NUCLEAR -- EQUIPPED NEIGHBOR IN NORTH KOREA TO STILL SECOND WE HAVE WAR SINCE 1950. BTS IS -- HIS HEAD INTO THE MILITARY AFTER DELAYING CONSCRIPTION FOR TWO YEARS, PASSED THE MAXIMUM AGE LIMIT, THANKS TO A CHANGE OF LAW DESIGNED TO BIDE TIME FOR MUSIC GROUPS TO CARRY ON. THE OTHER MEMBERS WILL SOON FOLLOW SUIT, PUSHING THEM OUT OF THE PUBLIC HERE AT LEAST UNTIL 2025. THAT MEANS THEIR FUTURE IS UNCERTAIN. IT'S A PAT OTHER GROUPS HAVE TRAVELED WITH NO GUARANTEES. FANS WILL BE WAITING ON THE OTHER SIDE. >> IT'S EXTREMELY TOUGH BECAUSE THEY CAN'T REALLY FUNCTION AT THEIR PEAK PERFORMANCE. BUT THEY DID WHEN THEY LEFT. IT'S ALSO A QUESTION OF WHERE THE MARKET IS THERE FOR THEMSELVES, WHICH IS NAMELY DEFENSE. >> THEN THEY MOVE ON TO OTHER GROUPS. >> THEY MOVE ON TO OTHER GROUPS. OR THEY JUST AGE OUT OF BEING A FAN OF K-POP. >> BUT NOT OFFENSE MOVE ON. WHEN K-POP SUSSEX STORY, SUPER JUNIOR, A SECOND GENERATION K-POP BOY BAND THAT SWEPT THE GLOBAL MARKET IN 2009 BY STORM -- WITH THE HIT TRACK SORRY, SORRY. >> IT TOOK TEN YEARS FOR ALL MEMBERS TO FINISH MILITARY DUTIES BECAUSE OF THEIR AGE DIFFERENCES. >> WE DID WHAT WE HAD TO DO, AND WE ARE PROUD OF OUR MILITARY SERVICE. BUT, YES IT WAS TOUGH. WE COULDN'T BE THERE FOR OUR OWN FOUNDS AS ONE WHOLESOME GROUP. >> SUPER JUNIORS -- SAYS IT WAS A DECADE OF UNCERTAINTY. BUT THEY USE CREATIVE TACTICS TO STAY IN TOUCH WITH THEIR BIGGEST SUPPORTERS. >> WE TRIED DIFFERENT WAYS TO INTERACT WITH OUR FANS LIKE PERFORMING IN UNITS. AND SOLOS. AND I ALSO WENT INTO ACTING WHICH GAVE ME -- JUST NOW. >> HE IS ALSO A TOP LEAD ACTOR STARRING IN SHOWS LIKE REVOLUTIONARY LOVE, DOZENS OF OTHER HIT KOREAN AND CHINESE TV SERIES AND MOVIES. >> IT WAS DIFFICULT. BUT I'VE LEARNED A LOT. I'VE LEARNED SO MUCH DURING TWO YEARS OF SERVICE. I HAVE SO MUCH RESPECT FOR THE MUSIC INDUSTRY. AND TO SERVE MY COUNTRY. I WAS REMINDED FOR US THAT HARD WORK PAYS OFF. YOU CAN ALWAYS COUNT ON EACH OTHER. SO WE CANNOT WAIT TO WORK ON SOME NEW PROJECT, OR OUR NEXT PROJECT. >> THE EXTRA EXPOSURE AND CONNECTIONS WITH THE FANS MAY HAVE HELPED SUPER JUNIOR IS CURRENTLY ON A WORLD TOUR. THERE'S SOME EXCEPTIONS TO MANDATORY MILITARY SERVICE AND SOUTH KOREA. DISTINGUISHED FINE ART PERFORMERS DON'T HAVE TO SERVE. AS WELL AS ATHLETES WHO EARNED MEDALS. BUT K-POP IDOLS, DON'T FALL IN THAT CATEGORY. NOW KOREAN LAWMAKERS ARE DEBATING SHOULD ARTISTS LIKE BTS AND AND AND CTE ALSO BE EXEMPTED. THE DEBATE IS QUITE DIVIDED. ONE LAWMAKER IS CALLING FOR THE EXEMPTION RULES TO BE SCRAPPED ALTOGETHER. WITH NO EXCEPTIONS. >> [SPEAKING NON-ENGLISH] >> AND IN ADDITION TO SAFETY, ARGUMENTS ALSO CENTER AROUND THE IDEA OF FAIRNESS AND JUSTICE. >> IT TRIGGERS MANY DIFFERENT NERVES. IT'S EXTREMELY, EXTREMELY SENSITIVE. SO, PEOPLE FEEL LIKE IT'S NOT FAIR FOR ME TO HAVE THIS GREAT LOSS AND MOMENT IN MY LIFE IF YOU DON'T GO THROUGH IT. >> BUT THOSE IN FAVOR OF IDLE EXEMPTION INCLUDE LAWMAKER -- HE PROPOSED A BILL LAST SEPTEMBER, THAT WOULD ALLOW TOUGH BOY BAND MEMBERS AWAY TO AVOID MANDATORY MILITARY SERVICE. >> [SPEAKING NON-ENGLISH] >> RECENT ANALYSIS SHOWS THAT K-POP GENERATES ABOUT TEN BILLION THOSE ARE THE COUNTRY EACH YEAR. AND ONE STUDY FOUND THAT BY 2020, BTS WAS CONTRIBUTING 3.5 BILLION DOLLARS A YEAR TO THE NATIONS ECONOMY. THAT MUCH INFLUENCE CAN GO A LONG WAY IN NATIONAL STATUS, IMAGE, AND PRIDE. >> [SPEAKING NON-ENGLISH] >> KOREAN PEOPLE, THEY RESPECT, AND THEY CHERISH THAT. AND THEY REGARD THEM AS A SORT OF NATIONAL TREASURE. BUT AT THE SAME TIME, [INAUDIBLE] TO HAVE THAT KIND OF STATUS, PEOPLE NOW UNDERSTAND THAT, LOOK, MAYBE IT'S BETTER FOR THEM TO HAVE A MILITARY SERVICE, TO FINISH THAT PROBABLY. >> THE MINISTER OF CULTURE AND MINISTER OF DEFENSE HAVE STATE, THE ISSUE OF EXEMPTION IS UNDER ROBY REVIEW, AND PUBLIC AFFINITY SERVICES WILL BE TAKEN INTO CONSIDERATION. ONE OF THE IDEAS TO ALLOW FLEXIBLE DATES OF SERVICE. SO, ALL MEMBERS IN THE GROUP COULD FINISH THEIR DUTIES AROUND THE SAME TIME. THE FINAL POLICY DECISIONS DO BY THE END OF THE YEAR. UNTIL THEN, MILLIONS OF K-POP FAN ARE HOLDING THEIR BREATH WONDERING JUST HOW LONG WILL HAVE TO WAIT TO SEE THEIR FAVORITE GROUPS ON STAGE AGAIN.