SEOUL, Oct. 26 (Korea Bizwire) — G-Dragon, the leader of K-pop boy band BIGBANG, was discharged from the military Saturday, bracing himself for a return to show business. Meeting with media and fans in front of the Ground Operations Command in Yongin, south of Seoul, G-Dragon, whose real name is Kwon Ji-yong, thanked his fans [...]
SEOUL, Oct. 22 (Korea Bizwire) — The fate of K-pop superband BTS’ roaring global music career with the full seven-member lineup is up in the air as the South Korean government is in the final stage of revising the country’s controversial military duty exemption system. Jin, BTS’ eldest member whose legal name is Kim Seok-jin, [...]
SEOUL, Jul. 15 (Korea Bizwire) — The military manpower agency pledged Monday to continue to seek measures to prevent attempts at evading mandatory military service by changing nationalities, after the top court’s recent ruling in favor of a Korean-American singer despite suspicion that he dodged his duty. Last week, the Supreme Court ruled that it [...]
SEOUL, Jul. 6 (Korea Bizwire) — T.O.P of South Korean boy band BIGBANG was released Saturday from his alternative military service, which had turns and twists due to a marijuana conviction. BIGBANG’s main rapper, whose real name is Choi Seung-hyun, started his two-year mandatory military service as a conscripted police officer in February 2017. But [...]
SEOUL, May 16 (Korea Bizwire) — Ok Taecyeon, a member of K-pop boy band 2PM, completed his 20 months of military service Thursday, setting himself up for a return to show business. “I still can’t believe (I was discharged) after waking up to a morning bugle today. Maybe I could if I wake up to [...]
SEOUL, May 14 (Korea Bizwire) — Yoon Ji-sung, a member of the disbanded boy band Wanna One, is set to begin his mandatory 21-month military service Tuesday, his management agency said. The 28-year-old will work as an active-duty soldier after finishing four weeks of basic military training, according to LM Entertainment. The singer announced on [...]
SEOUL, Apr. 19 (Korea Bizwire) — Two out of three South Korean men in their twenties consider male-only mandatory military service to be a form of gender discrimination. The Korean Women’s Development Institute (KWDI) conducted a survey last year on 3,000 men between 19 and 59 years of age, with 72.2 percent of the respondents [...]
SEOUL, Mar. 19 (Korea Bizwire) — South Korea’s military recruitment agency has accused eight men of having dodged or attempted to evade military service by feigning hearing impairment, its investigators said Tuesday. The Military Manpower Administration (MMA) said that six of the men falsely registered as hearing-impaired after intentionally exposing themselves to the high-pitched sounds [...]
SEOUL, Mar. 8 (Korea Bizwire) — Seungri of South Korean boy band BIGBANG will join the army late this month to carry out his mandatory military service, his agency said Friday. “Seungri will enlist in the army on March 25,” YG Entertainment said. The 29-year-old singer is currently subject to a police probe into allegations [...]
SEOUL, Feb. 26 (Korea Bizwire) — Actor Lee Jong-suk will be temporarily away from his fans from next month to complete his mandatory military duty as a public service worker, his management agency said Tuesday. “Lee will begin his alternative military service as a public service worker on March 8,” A-Man Project said in a [...]