Actor-singer Lee Seung-gi at army training camp

By Park Sae-jin Posted : February 1, 2016, 17:22 Updated : February 1, 2016, 17:22

[Aju News DB]


South Korean actor-singer Lee Seung-gi walked into an army training camp Monday to begin two years of mandatory military service after releasing his last single about conscription.

Pictures taken by South Korean media showed the 29-year-old wearing a black jumper, with his hair cut short, and waving to dozens of Korean, Chinese and Japanese fans who have gathered outside a boot camp in the southern city of Nonsan.

On January 21, Lee released a song "I Am Joining the Military" as a ballad about himself and other young Koreans waiting for military service, as well as their families and friends.

Lee, who debuted in 2004, has been a fixture on variety shows, starring in hit shows like "Brilliant Legacy".

All able-bodied South Korean men aged 18-35 are required to serve in the military for about two years, because the Korean peninsula is still technically at war as the 1950-53 Korean War ended in an armistice with no peace treaty signed between the two Koreas.

The military relies heavily on a compulsory service system. Exemptions are rare, with some Olympic gold medalists are not required to serve.

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