On Monday, Dec. 28, the Military Manpower Administration (MMA) chose to highlight several K-pop idols who have shown exemplary military service as celebrities. Keep on reading to see who they chose.
In the past, celebrities have tried to postpone their military enlistment in any way they can, even taking up higher education. The Military Manpower Administration has since been looking for ways to improve the system and eliminate any possibility of people abusing their power to bypass the mandatory military service.
It seems to have worked. According to the Military Manpower Administration, the number of celebrities enlisting in the army at age 28 or older has decreased from 18.8 perfect to 7 percent, and more and more celebrities are volunteering to enlist in the military in their early or mid-20s.
With that in mind, the Military Manpower Administration cited popular idols who are perfect models of celebrity military service. The first idol they named is SHINee member Minho. Minho joined the Marine Corps in April 2019 and completed his active duty on Nov. 15. Unlike in previous years, Minho was given the option of being discharged from the military without returning to the base after their final vacation. However, it was reported that Minho had chosen to return to the Marine Corps instead for his final training.
The Marine Corps has stated in the past that though Minho had joined the military at a relatively late age, he was always praised by his superiors for his exemplary military service and always made people happy with his bright personality.
Another idol that was praised by the Military Manpower Administration is BTOB's Yook Sungjae. Sungjae joined the military this year at a relatively early age of 25 years old. Yook Sungjae is part of the military band and recently made headlines for participating in the Military Manpower Administration's "Proud Military" challenge, which drew much public attention.
Yook Sungjae is set to be discharged from the military by Nov. 2021.
The last K-pop idol that they mentioned is 2PM member Chansung, who enlisted in the military in June of last year. He is currently an assistant instructor in the army at the 5th Infantry Division in Yeoncheon, Gyeonggi Province. In March of this year, it was reported that he donated 50 million KRW to the Hope Bridge Disaster Relief Administration to aid in coronavirus relief. The money will be used to help families recover from the damages caused by the virus and to help prevent the spread of the disease.
These celebrities have shown pride in their activities in the military and can help influence many young men in South Korea to partake in their mandatory military service as soon as possible. In the past, most celebrities joined the military as late as possible due to the heavy burden of a hiatus can cause to their popularity. Now, however, the trend is changing, and joining the military is now seen as something positive.
Has your favorite idol taken up their mandatory military service? Will they be enlisting soon? Tell us in the comments down below!
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Written by Alexa Lewis
