SM Entertainment has confirmed on July 8, Wednesday, that Onew will be taking his final leave today and will be discharged without returning to the base. There will be no separate discharge event.
The agency said that Onew will be discharged twelve days early following military orders. Due to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, all men enlisted in the military will be discharged earlier to prevent the spread of the virus. The timing of how early depends on how many days of vacation they have left from their final vacation from the military.
Onew had enlisted in the military on December 10, 2018. In July 2019, he joined the military musical, titled "Shingeung Military Academy," which is a musical that talks about young patriots who joined the army to gain independence from Japan.
He was part of another military musical in August 2019, acting alongside EXO's Xiumin. The musical was "Return: The Promise of That Day," in which he played young Seung-Ho, who fought during the Korean war. It's an original army music that discuss topics of digging out the remains of soldiers who sacrificed themselves for their country during the war.
Onew is the first SHINee member to complete his mandatory military enlistment. Congratulations, Onew!
Fellow members Minho and Key have also applied to the military. Key applied for the military band service and was accepted on January 24, 2019. He enlisted on March 4, 2019. Minho applied for the Marines on March 18, 2019, and was accepted on March 21, 2019. He officially enlisted on April 15, 2019. Member Taemin is yet to enlist in the military.
SHINee debuted with five members in 2008 under SM Entertainment. Due to their impact in their native country and their contributions to the spread of the Hallyu Wave, they have been dubbed as the "Princes of K-Pop" by numerous media outlets.
During their debut, they gained attention for their unique fashion style, which was known as the "SHINee Trend" and was popular amongst students. Their songs "Ring Ding Dong" and "Lucifer" gained them popularity both locally and globally, with the latter track's choreography being known as the dance to inspire K-Pop groups to take choreography seriously, setting the standard for K-Pop dances to come. The group has been included in the Forbes List of Korea Power Celebrity in 2014 and 2018.
In mid-2011, the boys debuted in Japan with a Japanese version of their song "Replay." That same year, the group help their Japan Debut Premium Reception at the Abbey Road Studios in London, making them the first Asian act to perform there.
The group has been praise as one of the best live vocal K-Pop groups in the game and are also known for their synchronized and complex dance routines.
On December 18, 2017, member Jonghyun sadly passed away in an apparent suicide. After talks of disbandment, the four remaining members of SHINee decided to stick together. The group decided to push through with their series of Japan concerts in February of 2018 despite the recent events, commemorating Jonghyun in their stages. On March 2018, they released their Japanese single "From Now On," posthumously featuring Jonghyun.
The group's last comeback was on May 2018 with the song "Good Evening." The group has been on a hiatus following the member's military enlistments. Taemin is active as a member of SuperM and as a soloist.
