Onew, leader of popular boy band SHINee, will enlist in the country’s military service next month.
SM Entertainment revealed in a statement that the singer will fulfil his compulsory enlistment on December 10 as an active-duty soldier and will quietly enter a boot camp without revealing the location and enlistment time of his entry. No event to bid farewell to his fans will take place anytime soon.
Onew, born Lee Jin-ki, is the oldest and first member from SHINee to enter the army this year. He debuted in 2008 with Minho, Key, Taemin and late bandmate Jonghyun with R’n’B dance track, Replay. SHINee released an anniversary trilogy of three EPs known as The Story of Light with title tracks Good Evening, I Want You and Our Page, in commemoration of 10 years together as a group.
The idol took his innate acting skills onto the big screen with an appearance in hit KBS drama Descendants of the Sun.
Onew, as well as other prominent male K-Pop idols, are required to serve in the military for almost two years. According to Korea’s new military service law, which took effect on August 1 this year, Korean males must enlist by the age of 28 and can no longer delay their enlistment until they’re 30 years old for particular reasons.
