SHINEE’S TAEMIN ENLISTS
It’s time for the last and youngest member of the South Korean group SHINee to enlist in the military. Lee Taemin, 27, has applied and was accepted to join the army’s military band, as confirmed by his label, SM Entertainment.
SHINee’s Onew was the first among the members to serve in the military in December of 2018, followed by Key and Minho a few months later. All three have completed their mandatory military service.
The ‘Move’ singer has been active in the industry ever since he debuted with the rest of SHINee in 2008. He was 14.
Aside from Taemin’s enlistment date, on 31 May, other details have not yet been made public. The artist himself revealed the news in a separate live stream.
“There is more than a month left, so I didn’t want to spend it already being sad,” he said. Taemin also wanted to be the one to announce it directly to his fans.
The “Move” singer has been active in the industry ever since he debuted with the rest of SHINee in 2008. He was 14. Taemin is also a member of SuperM with EXO’s Baekhyun.
“One thing that makes Taemin enlisting so emotional for me is the fact that for so long, it was just him and us while the other members were away and now it’s his turn,” a fan said on Twitter. “During that period, Shawols (SHINee’s official fandom name) and Taemin connected more than ever. I feel like he waited with us; now we wait for him.”
“You’ve (Taemin) carried the SHINee name well these past few years and worked endlessly for a decade,” another one said. “I hope you can enlist with an easy mind, knowing that we’ll always be waiting for you. See you soon.”
As a temporary parting gift, he will release a solo album in the second or third week of May, as well as a virtual concert, Beyond LIVE, on 2 May. He added, “The album schedule hasn’t been confirmed yet, but I will be able to show one last brilliant performance and music.”
SHINee made a grand comeback with its seventh-full album Don’t Call Me. It was the group’s first album after two and a half years since most of SHINee’s members were serving in the military.
SHINee recently dropped a repackaged album, Atlantis, on 12 April.