Kim Hyun Joong is expected to take his first leave from the army, later this month. According to an October 14 report published by Korea Joongang Daily, the pop star and actor scheduled his first leave since enlisting for mandatory military service in May 2015.
Korea Joongang Daily attributed the information to an unnamed source that is close to Kim, who spoke with Ilgan Sports.
It is customary for enlisted soldiers to take their first leave after 100 days, but the former SS501 star refrained from taking a break in September, during the height of his on-going legal battle with his ex-girlfriend.
His former lover, a woman who is referred to by Korean media as Choi or A, delivered a baby in September 2015, leading to additional woes for Kim, who was named as the alleged father of her child.
Differing reports regarding the paternity test and the conditions under which it was taken prompted the Hallyu star to organize a press conference on September 16, where his lawyer presented an apologetic, handwritten letter.
The troublesome situation involving the "Boys Over Flowers" star and his ex-girlfriend began on August 21, 2014, when Korean media revealed that the unnamed woman had filed domestic violence stars against the star, alleging that he was responsible for fracturing her rib.
These allegations led to a police investigation, but the charges were eventually dropped by his former lover. It was later revealed that Kim had reached a financial settlement with the woman. However, his legal woes continued and the situation escalated after her pregnancy was announced.
Legal representatives for both sides will return to court on October 30. Kim is expected to continue with his defamation of character suit against his ex-girlfriend, as the results of the paternity test involving his alleged baby have yet to be revealed.
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Adrienne Stanley is a contributing editor at KDramaStars. She is also a contributing music writer at KpopStarz, MTV Iggy and other publications. When she is not listening to "We Like 2 Party," she can be found on Twitter. (@retrogirladdy).
