Actor/singer Jang Keun-suk announces mandatory military service date
One of South Korea’s best known pop stars, Jang Keunsuk, will begin his mandatory military service on July 16, according to a statement from his agency Tree J on Friday.
After the news was released, Jang published a statement on his official website saying goodbye and expressing appreciation for his fans.
“Please remember that I am just taking a short break… take care, I love you all… if you are going to love someone else while I am away, you are dead to me,”Jang said in the statement.
Many of the idol’s Chinese fans left messages online after hearing the news.
“I am waiting for you!” netizen VOLUIO wrote on Chinese social media platform Sina Weibo.
“The last words are really his style,” noted netizen Amengya also on Sina Weibo.
Before the announcement, a heated discussion concerning the 32-year-old star’s lack of military service was taking place on social media. According to South Korean law, all males between 18-35 are required to perform mandatory military service.
According to Jang’s agency, the star was diagnosed in 2011 with bipolar disorder. He was later deemed ineligible for active duty after health examinations by the Military Manpower Administration.
According to the statement, due to Jang’s condition, he will complete his military service by performing substitute service at a public agency.
Jang rose to fame throughout Asia for his role in South Korean idol drama You’re Beautiful (2009), in which he played the leader of a fictional K-pop band who has a crush on his fellow team member – a woman disguised as a man.