The Korean military places celebrities alongside citizens from all walks of life, but mandatory service also provides opportunities for stars to see one another. While they have not performed on the same stage or music chart show since 2009, TVXQ's Yunho is scheduled to attend the same October festival as his former group mates, Jaejoong, and Yoochun.
An exclusive report published by the Herald Econ detailed the upcoming army festival while noting the attendance of the three stars. According to the report, the pop idols will be present at an October army festival that will be held in Gyeryong, in South Chungcheong province.
"Yunho, Jaejoong and Yoochun will attend the Gyeryong Military Culture festival, held in South Chungcheong, this October," said a representative for the event, in a statement provided to Herald Econ.
The report went on to note that Yunho recently completed five weeks of basic training.
A subsequent article published by TV Report quoted representatives from the armed forces, who said that performances from the stars have yet to be determined.
"Yunho, Yoochun, and Jaejoong's appearances have not yet been determined," said a spokesperson for the armed forces, in reaction to the report published by the Herald Econ.
In July 2009, Jaejoong, Yoochun, and Junsu attempted to part ways from SM Entertainment, due to unfair contract claims. Alleging that their 13-year exclusive contract allowed for unreasonable terms, the trio attempted to promote as TVXQ under the management of AVEX in Japan. However, their activities were halted on December 31, 2009. Yunho and Changmin remained under contract with SM Entertainment.
The on-going legal battle of the trio, who became known as JYJ, continued until November 2012. The members of JYJ appeared on Korean television in K-Drama roles, but they were unofficially prohibited from music television appearances. In April 2015, Junsu performed for the first time in six years, for the EBS show, "Space Symphony."
Junsu is the only member of JYJ who is not currently enlisted. Jaejoong began his mandatory service in the military on March 31, 2015 and is expected to be released in December 2016. Yoochun followed, enlisting on August 27, 2015.
Yunho entered on July 21, 2015 and joined the military band for the 26th Mechanized Division in August 2015. Changmin recently completed his role in the vampire series, "Scholar Who Walks the Night." Changmin is expected to enlist on November 19, along with Super Junior's Choi Siwon.
While it is unlikely that the three former bandmates will perform together, news that Jaejoong, Yunho and Yoochun will attend the same festival is encouraging to audiences who enjoy both TVXQ and JYJ.
