S3 Ep9: Story | Should BTS serve in the military? BTS가 곧 입대를 할까요?

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시즌3, 9화. 이야기편 | BTS가 곧 입대를 할까요?
Season 3, Episode 9 – Story | Should BTS serve in the military?

안녕하세요? 잘 지냈어요? It’s your host of the Korean study café, Vanessa.

Today we will listen to an issue in Korea regarding if BTS should serve in the military or not.

Then Now, shall we listen to the story?

요즘에 많은 사람들이 방탄소년단이 군대에 입대 할지 안 할지에 대해서 이야기하고 있어요. 사실 한국의 모든 20대 남자는 군대에 가야 돼요. 만약에 군대에 안 가면 불법이에요. 그러면 체포될 수 있어요. 

그런데 만약에 순수 예술이나 체육 분야의 국제 대회에서 특정한 상을 받으면 그 사람은 법적으로 군대를 안 가도 돼요. 하지만 현재 대중 문화 예술인들은 이 법을 적용받을 수 없어요. 

많은 한국인들은 방탄소년단이 외국에서 많은 인정과 상을 받고 있어서 좋아해요. 그래서 방탄소년단에게도 이 법이 적용되기를 원해요. 하지만 또 다른 사람들은 모든 국민이 같은 대우를 받기를 원해요. 그래서 지금 한국에서 많은 논란이 있어요.

여러분은 어떻게 생각해요? 방탄소년단은 입대를 해야 할까요?    

English Translation

Recently, many people have been talking about whether or not BTS will join the military. (In fact,) All Korean men in their 20s have to serve in the military. If they don’t join it, it’s illegal, and they can be arrested.

However, suppose someone in fine arts or athletics receives an award in international competitions (such as Olympics). In that case, that person doesn’t have to serve in the military legally. However, this law does not apply to public cultural artists.

Many Koreans like that BTS is receiving many recognition and awards in foreign countries. So they want that BTS is applied to this law as well. But other people want that all citizens are treated the same. Therefore now there’s much controversy in Korea.

What do you think about this? Should BTS join the army?

How was it? Were you able to understand the story? Even if you didn’t, it’s fine because we will see the meaning together now.

Then, let’s hear the first part of the story again and the background story of this issue.

요즘에 많은 사람들이 방탄소년단이 군대에 입대 할지 안 할지에 대해서 이야기하고 있어요. 사실 한국의 모든 20대 남자는 군대에 가야 돼요. 만약에 군대에 안 가면 불법이에요. 그러면 체포될 수 있어요. 

군대 army, the military has always been an issue in Korea. Since the Korea war in 1951, according to the constitution of the Republic of Korea, all men who are over 18 years old must join the army for a couple of years. However, some people whose parents are in a high social ranking have tried to avoid their duty illegally in the past. Also, some people got caught when they tried to bribe the involved people to avoid it. So all people claimed that it was unfair treatment and something is not supposed to happen again. Nevertheless, there was a social agreement that people who improved the country’s standing or image, such as athletes who earned medals in Olympic games or Asian games or artists in the field of fine arts who received a certain level of awards in international competitions, do not have to have an obligation to serve in the military.

In fact, the government limited the application target to the field of fine art in the first place because many Korean celebrities in the past got caught because they tried to bribe to avoid their obligation to serve in the military. So the national sentiment towards them in terms of this issue has not been great. However, recently, some people think that the international recognition for BTS is the same as the other beneficiary targets’, so this discussion has resumed again. Should public artists be the beneficiary target for this or not? The Korean government hasn’t decided yet, but they announced that they are going to conclude this within months. So we will see how this will go in the future.

What do you think about this issue? Try to give your opinion in Korean.

Then now, let’s see the main vocabulary words used in this part.

• 군대 the army, the military

• 입대 enlisting /  입대하다 to enlist (military)

• 불법 unlawfulness, illegality / 불법이다 to be illegal

• 체포 arresting / 체포하다 to arrest / 체포되다 to be arrested

그런데 만약에 순수 예술이나 체육 분야의 국제 대회에서 상을 받으면 그 사람은 법적으로 군대를 안 가도 돼요. 하지만 현재 대중 문화 예술인들은 이 법을 적용받을 수 없어요. 

In this part, let’s see the word 법 law closely, which actually means “duties that people must do and the set logic.” For this reason, this word is used to compound many different words as well.

Then now, let’s see the compound words with 법.

• 법원 court of law

• 헌법 constitution

• 위법 violation of the law

• 합법 legitimacy, legality

• 법대 law school (this word is shorted the original word 법과 대학교)

• 법칙 rule, principle, law

• 문법 grammar / which literally means “language law.”

How was it? Every word here is very related to one another, right? As I emphasized earlier in the previous episodes, this method will help you memorize Korean words much easier.

Then now, let’s see the main vocabulary words used in this part.

• 순수 예술 fine arts

• 체육 분야 physical field/field of athletes

• 국제 대회 international competiton

• 상 award

• 법적으로 legally 

• 대중 문화 public culture

• 적용 받다 to be applied

많은 한국인들은 방탄소년단이 외국에서 많은 인정과 상을 받고 있어서 좋아해요. 그래서 방탄소년단에게도 이 법이 적용되기를 원해요. 하지만 또 다른 사람들은 모든 국민이 같은 대우를 받기를 원해요. 그래서 지금 한국에서 많은 논란이 있어요.

여러분은 어떻게 생각해요? 방탄소년단은 입대를 해야 할까요?    

In this part, let’s check out the difference between the meanings of two verbs 원하다 and – 고 싶다.

You probably heard an expression – 고 싶다.

For example, 저는 방탄의 콘서트에 가고 싶어요. I want to go to BTS’s concert.

Since this expression is easy to use with any verbs without any conjugation, it’s considered a simple way to say the expression that “someone wants to do something.” However, there’s another way to say “someone wants to do something” in Korean. That’s what the verb 원하다 is used.

The difference between these two is the frequency of the usage. -고 싶다 is, of course, used a lot more commonly in everyday conversation, whereas – 원하다 is a lot less because of the tone and the nuance of the verb. It’s pretty strong and formal, so sometimes you have to translate it as the English verbs such as “desire or long for or long to do.”

Also, – 고 싶다 cannot express that “you want someone to do something” while – 원하다 can.

To say, “I want you to go to school” in Korean.

If you want to use the expression “고 싶다,” it’s impossible. But if you use “원하다,” then you can.

나는 너가 학교에 가기를 원해. I want you to go to school.

Lastly, – 고 싶다 should always be combined with a verb, whereas 원하다 can be used together with a verb or a noun.

To say I want to eat Bulgogi or I want Bulgogi in Korean by using these two expressions it should be like this.

저는 불고기를 먹고 싶어요. I want to eat Bulgogi

저는 불고기를 원해요. I want Bulgogi

저는 불고기를 먹기를 원해요. I want to eat Bulgogi. 

How about that? Did you understand the difference between them?

There were three differences.

1. – 고 싶다 is much more common to use, whereas 원하다 is much more formal. 

2. When you want to say “I want someone to do something” in Korean, you can’t express it with -고 싶다 but 원하다.

3. -고 싶다 should always be combined with a verb, whereas 원하다 can be combined with a verb as well as a noun. 

All right, I’m pretty sure you got this.

Then now, let’s see the main vocabulary words used in this part.

• 외국 foreign country

• 인정 recognition, acknowledgment

• 또 다른 another

• 국민 people, citizen

• 대우 treatment

• 논란 controversy