Military Enlistments: Jang Geun Suk and Jang Hyunseung

Sigh. Two more of our K-Pop/dramaland darlings have gone off to war.  Jang Geun Suk(Switch: Change the World) headed off to service on July 16, and Jang Hyunseung on July 24.

Jang Geun Suk

Jang Geun Suk’s enlistment notice came with a lot of buzz.  When it was released that he would be joining as a Level 4 soldier, the actor decided to release a press announcement revealing the reason behind his downgraded rank.  (In case you are unfamiliar with the Korean military ranking system, Level 4 means that the soldier is a Civil Servant and not a part of one of the traditional military branches, like Navy, Army, etc.)  The reason was that Jang Geun Suk is suffering from Bipolar Disorder.

Bipolar disorder is a condition which affects people’s moods by creating huge swings from manic highs to depressed lows which can each last weeks.  According to an interview with Jang Geun Suk, he was originally diagnosed in 2011, but chose to keep the diagnosis private.  However, with the announcement of his level 4 status, he made the brave decision to reveal his condition.  It must have been a very hard decision for him to announce something so personal to the public.  We hope that his fans were supportive and that he will feel better soon.

Jang Hyunseung

On the other hand, Jang Hyunseung enlisted without much fanfare yesterday, July 24.  Hyunseung is a hit singer best known for his work with the K-Pop group “BEAST” from 2009-2016.  Along with “BEAST,” Hyunseung won the Artist of the Year (Daesang) award at the Melon Music Awards in 2011.  More recently, Hyunseung has branched out with singles, and for a short while he formed the group “Troublemaker” with vocal artist HyunA.

Jang Geun Suk will be returning to dramaland some time around April 15, 2020, and Jang Hyunseung will be returning around April 23, 2020.  Good luck guys!  We will be waiting for you.

Check out our Military Status page for military release dates for all your favorite Korean Stars.

[source, source]