Kim Hyun Joong reported for his two-year mandatory military duty today. Before he left he hand wrote a letter to his fans to say goodbye, posting the note and a photo to his fan café.
The actor and singer apologized for not having the opportunity to publicly say goodbye to his fans. But the "Inspiring Generation" star avoided speaking specifically about any of the details of the scandals that have plagued him for almost a year.
"Honestly, during this time I felt very apologetic. As a public figure I was unable to speak my mind so I had to hold my breath. Every day was hard for me as I reproached myself for not being more thoughtful and mature."
Kim Hyun Joong has spoken through his legal team, Cheong Pa Law Firm, since last August when an ex-girlfriend, identified only as Choi, filed four charges of assault against him. He denied that they had more than one physical fight. After he apologized and offered her a financial settlement of $547,824, she dropped the charges, but the one incident that he admitted to made it to court and resulted in him paying an additional $5,000 fine.
The couple reconciled, vacationed together, broke up again, and in January Choi announced that she was pregnant. She is reportedly expecting the baby in September. In May she filed a lawsuit against him citing psychological damages from their relationship. On May 11, his ex-girlfriend reported that she suffered a miscarriage during one of the incidents of abuse that she previously claimed. His legal team commented on those charges.
"Whether this is true or not has not been checked," said a legal representative for Kim. If the claims are proven to be untrue, the legal team may sue Choi for blackmail.
Kim applied for a deferment to his mandatory military duty so he could deal with these personal matters but did not get it. On May 12 he had to report for duty.
"During this confusing time," he wrote. "Many people have helped me out mentally. I wondered with what words I could apologize to the people who were hurt by me and angry with me; it feels like I am leaving with a big amount of debt."
He wrote about entering the military with an uneasy heart.
"Any man born in this land goes to the military, but as it's now my turn, a part of my heart is uneasy. I believe the next two years will provide an opportunity for me to be reborn."