In a country where enlistment in the military for two years is compulsory for all able-bodied men, the rule has long been an inescapable obstacle for singers and actors in their twenties who thrive in their careers.
In this sense, having completed the two-year service can be an advantage for artists who are now eligible to plan for long-term career goals. In the music industry, some major K-pop groups are expected to return to the stage after members have successfully completed their duties.
SHINee’s return from a year-long hiatus is an event fans are eagerly awaiting. The boy group, who released their most recent studio album in 2018, are set to release their seventh studio album “Don’t Call Me” on February 22.
The nine-track album, with the title track “Don’t Call Me,” is a hip-hop dance track that is sung from the perspective of someone who has been betrayed by a lover, according to the agency. of the SM Entertainment group.
The new album comes after members Onew, Key and Minho were released from the military in July, September, and November, respectively. The youngest member of the act, Taemin, has yet to enlist but has remained active by posting solo material and participating in Project Super M.
After SM Entertainment made SHINee’s comeback public at a year-end concert, the group prepared for the comeback. In January, the group aired “The Ringtone: SHINee is Back” live, where the members revealed “Marry You,” one of nine tracks from the upcoming album.
2PM is another act that is gearing up for a long-awaited comeback. The multinational boy band made up of Korean and Thai members had topped the charts with hit songs like “10 out of 10,” “Heartbeat” and “Again Again,” but has been inactive since 2017 as its members enlisted.
Four of the group’s five Korean members – Taecyeon, Jun K., Wooyoung and Chansung – have been dismissed from their mandatory duties as Junho is due to end his service in March.
The six-member group is gearing up to make a comeback, appearing in the personal “Wild Six” web series. Wooyoung and Chansung recently appeared on the popular MBC variety show “I Live Alone” in an episode where the two discussed their long hiatus and come back with new music.
Wooyoung noted how inactive the band was for nearly five years, saying, “The stage is everything for a singer,” showing how much he misses being on stage with his band mates. In “Wild Six,” members also asked fans to wait until 2021, hinting they will be much more active this year.
Boy band Highlight is another second generation boy band expected to release new music this year.
In a recent livestream with fans, member Yang Yo-seob mentioned how the group was preparing for a comeback even before the members joined the military, saying the group will be making a comeback “in the near future, (may -be) this year ”.
The group, which started out as a six-piece number named Beast, had grown in popularity with hit songs like “Fiction” and “Good Luck”. Due to conflicts with their former agency, the group rebranded themselves as “Highlight” in 2017 and have since transformed into a quartet.
All four members of the group completed their military service in December, with the members each appearing in various television shows and musicals. Their last album was “Outro” released in November 2018.
In South Korea, a country that faces North Korea across a heavily fortified border, all able-bodied men between the ages of 18 and 28 are required to serve in the military for about two years.
In December, the National Assembly passed the revised Military Service Law to allow popular culture artists to postpone their compulsory service if recommended by the Minister of Culture. The revised law is expected to enter into force in June.
Until now, exemptions or postponements from military service were only granted to international award-winning athletes and classical musicians for their role in raising the country’s reputation abroad. (Yonhap)
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