BTOB's Yook Sungjae, Im Hyunsik, and Pentagons Jinho will officially end their military enlistment. The K-pop idols will return to their group activities again.
BTOB's Yook Sungjae, Im Hyunsik, and Pentagon's Jinho to Discharge From the Military
Cube Entertainment, BTOB, and Pentagon's management agency stated that their idols, Yook Sungjae, Hyunsik, and Jinho, were discharged from their military enlistment last November 14.
However, because of the pandemic, soldiers are unofficially discharged early since they took their last vacation, for they did not return to their base after the vacation so that the spread of COVID-19 can be prevented.
They enlisted last May 11, 2020, and their enlistment will end on November 14. It is worth noting that after Hyunsik and Yook Sungjae ended their enlistment, all of the BTOB members have officially completed their military service.
Meanwhile, Jinho became the first member of Pentagon to finish the obligatory enlistment.
Hyunsik posted a story about his discharge from the military through a letter on his Instagram account on the same day.
He stated," As I promised before I left, I came back in good health. I wanted to see you a lot. I always thought and waited for the moment when BTOB and Melody would meet again someday. But the moment I've been dreaming of has finally come."
He added, "It's a more beautiful meeting than the one we've been waiting for. Thank you for waiting, and thank you again. I will do my best to convey my sincerity for the long-awaited melody."
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K-Pop Artists and the Obligatory Military Enlistment
Even before, K-Pop idols were enlisted for mandatory military service. But it was very noticeable when a group member was absent during the group's activities because of the enlistment. That is why the popularity of the certain K-pop group decreases when they have a member who is currently serving the military.
Since then, it is a rule in South Korea that all male citizens should serve the military for a total of 18 months. Formerly, the age of joining the military was 28 years, then last year it was moved to 30 years old.
The ones who are enlisted in the military are required to spend two years in the military before reaching the age of 30. The rule is applicable to all men born in South Korea, however, athletes and persons with disabilities are exempted to this rule.
READ MORE: ONF Confirmed to Release Last Album Before Their Mandatory Military Enlistment
Korean Government's Stand for K-Pop Idols To Have Exemption
Secretary-General Choi Kwang-ho of the Korean Music Contents Association said that if ever there are no publicly reliable and representative indicators like the Olympics and competitions in the popular culture and arts field, then a popular music competition can be created.
Standards shall be introduced for pop culture artists. However, the Secretary-general says that the plan is unreasonable, he then points out the contradictions in the system.
The Korean Music Contents Association stated that they will continue showing solid evidence to support the special military service for K-Pop artists until the National Defense Committee meeting is held this month. Moreover, the association will do their best to make sure that the bill will be approved.
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by Annie Barmaine.
