Actor Song, Chang Begin Mandatory Military Service
Published on | Source
Park Chung-a
Staff Reporter
As many as 500 people, including fans from Korea, China and Japan and press personnel, were on hand at the military boot camp in Chunchon, Kangwon Province, Tuesday, to watch Song Seung-heon, a popular actor involved in the recent draft-dodging scandal, begin his army service.
Song, along with actors Han Jae-suk and Jang Hyuk, were charged with manipulating their medical records to avoid serving in the military during an investigation conducted by the Military Manpower Administration (MMA) in September. They were among 130 men who were found to have received exemption from conscription by manipulating their physical test results in collaboration with brokers.
Chang also entered the military Tuesday, while Han began serving on Monday.
Song appeared calm as he entered the unit in a black leather jacket and with his hair cut short. Before leaving for the army, he left a message to his fans on his Internet homepage, which read, "I feel really sorry for all of those who have gone through a very hard time because of me. Since there will be more days that we will be able to meet than we have seen each other up until now, I will not be sad about this short separation".
Prior to the scandal, the three actors were at the height of their acting careers, particularly Song, who will be unable to star in "Sulpun Yonga (A Sad Love Song)", a soon-to-premiere drama backed by Japanese and Chinese sponsors, which is expected to do well here and abroad.
A group of lawmakers from the ruling Uri party even submitted a petition to the MMA demanding that Song's draft date be postponed to allow him to go on with shooting the drama, saying that his participation was vital for the success of the program, which is directly related to the further spread of "Hallyu (Korean wave)" and national economic benefits. The demand was refused as the MMA announced they will stand firm to the legislation.
Staff Reporter
As many as 500 people, including fans from Korea, China and Japan and press personnel, were on hand at the military boot camp in Chunchon, Kangwon Province, Tuesday, to watch Song Seung-heon, a popular actor involved in the recent draft-dodging scandal, begin his army service.
Song, along with actors Han Jae-suk and Jang Hyuk, were charged with manipulating their medical records to avoid serving in the military during an investigation conducted by the Military Manpower Administration (MMA) in September. They were among 130 men who were found to have received exemption from conscription by manipulating their physical test results in collaboration with brokers.
Chang also entered the military Tuesday, while Han began serving on Monday.
Song appeared calm as he entered the unit in a black leather jacket and with his hair cut short. Before leaving for the army, he left a message to his fans on his Internet homepage, which read, "I feel really sorry for all of those who have gone through a very hard time because of me. Since there will be more days that we will be able to meet than we have seen each other up until now, I will not be sad about this short separation".
Prior to the scandal, the three actors were at the height of their acting careers, particularly Song, who will be unable to star in "Sulpun Yonga (A Sad Love Song)", a soon-to-premiere drama backed by Japanese and Chinese sponsors, which is expected to do well here and abroad.
A group of lawmakers from the ruling Uri party even submitted a petition to the MMA demanding that Song's draft date be postponed to allow him to go on with shooting the drama, saying that his participation was vital for the success of the program, which is directly related to the further spread of "Hallyu (Korean wave)" and national economic benefits. The demand was refused as the MMA announced they will stand firm to the legislation.
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