Park Yoo Chun joined his JYJ band mate and fellow actor Kim Jae Joong in serving his mandatory military duty this week. As all Korean males, age 18 to 35, must serve two years of military duty, fans have started to wonder which k-drama actors will enlist next.
Yoo Ah In, Lee Min Ho and Lee Seung Gi have all reached the age where they must consider enlisting. Most men prefer to do so before they reach the age of 30, but actors may postpone enlisting to work on their careers while they are at their peak.
As military duty means a two-year break from acting, actors often try to complete as many memorable projects as possible in the period before they sign up. That way they will not be forgotten while they are away.
Before he enlisted on August 27, Park Yoo Chun said that he tried to complete as many acting projects as possible, appearing in the drama "The Girl Who Sees Smells," narrating a documentary and starring in the film "Lucid Dreams."
Yoo Ah In, Lee Min Ho and Lee Seung Gi have also been busy in the last year, perhaps because they are also considering when they should enlist.
Yoo Ah In's most recent film "Veteran" is a box office success, having attracted over 10 million viewers. With that success he has earned the enduring reputation of being a bankable box office star. His other recent film "The Throne," in which he plays the tragic Prince Sado, will be released in September. Next, he's planning to film the SBS drama "Six Flying Dragons," co-starring Shin Se Kyung, Kim Myung Min, Byun Yo Han and Jung Yu Mi. "Six Flying Dragons" starts in October.
Lee Seung Gi, who recently appeared in his first film, the comedy "Love Forecast" with Moon Chae Won, is about to shoot his second film "Marital Harmony" with Shim Eun Jyung. He had a cameo in "Producers" but has not acted in a drama since the 2014 police drama "You're All Surrounded." However, he has been busy with his singing career and will co-star in the new entertainment program "New Journey to the West." It's a pretty well rounded career and Lee Seung Gi has proven he can do it all.
Lee Min Ho is in no danger of being forgotten during his enlistment. He did want to do another drama this year, as his last was "The Heirs" in 2013. But films have been keeping him busy. He starred in "Gangnam Blues," proving he could do a dark genre film. His next role is an action comedy titled "Bounty Hunters." The joint Korean-American production beings filming in September and is expected to premiere in 2016. He may well have enlisted by then or at the very least made plans to do so.
None of these actors should worry too much. It's not likely that their fans will forget them.
