Singer-actor Bi Rain will end his military service this week on a positive note. The Department of Defense Public Affairs recently released a statement saying that the "Full House" star is going to be discharged as scheduled with no punishment.
"What we know is that after a performance Rain went to eat dinner with some officials and then went home," said the statement. "He only drank alcohol because he was encouraged to and he was not involved in the controversy."
The controversy also concerned his fellow celebrity recruits singers Se7en and Mighty Mouth's Sangchu. Rain accompanied them for drinks and dinner but there is no evidence that he accompanied them later to an adult massage parlor. That's where an SBS news team photographed them as they left. These photographs once again raised the issue of celebrity recruits receiving special treatment and taking more time off than regular soldiers. The recruits were all technically on duty even though none of them wore uniforms. The Ministry of Defense is still investigating the charges against Se7en and Sangchu.
Rain also came under fire earlier in the year for the frequency of his visits to actress girlfriend Kim Tae Hee. As a punishment the military disciplinary committee sentenced him to one week of probation. He was confined to his barracks and not allowed to leave the military base.
But on Wednesday his 21-month military duty will be over and the singer will be able to focus on his career again. Rain began making plans for his post-enlistment career long before he ended his military duty. One career move was signing on with Cube Entertainment, which also represents 4Minute, G.NA and Beast.
Hong Seung Sung, the president of Cube, recently said, "You will soon be able to witness the beginning of Rain's second wave. He has already shown his potential by becoming a world-class entertainer and his future holds no limits."
Rain used to be represented by JYP Entertainment. When Hong worked at JYP he was one of the first to recognize Rain's potential.
In related news, four members of the 12-man news crew that confronted Se7en and Sangchu at the adult massage parlor have been reassigned. According to SBS, the crew was too large and needed to be cut and some members requested transfers. One of those transfers was Kim Jung Yoon, the reporter who covered the scandal.
Rain's fans are looking forward to his next career moves.