Chogiwa – South Korea has been doing conscription or mandatory military service since 1957 which is obligatory for all men who have turned 18 and it is applicable for all men and only those with really specific conditions could exempt the conscription.
In other words, most men in Korea must have this experience including your favorite Korean actors. Below is the list of Korean actors who will finish their mandatory military service in 2021. Is there someone you have been waiting for all this time?
#1 Lee Jong Suk – 2 January 2021
The first Korean actor we should welcome in early 2021 is Lee Jong Suk. An actor who debuted in 2005 as a runaway model has been working in several hit dramas such as I Can Hear Your Voice, Pinocchio, While You Were Sleeping and his last drama before his enlistment is Romance Is a Bonus Book.
He also starred in several hit movies such as Hot Young Bloods and V.I.P. Lee Jong Suk upcoming project is The Witch: Part 2, though, in this movie, he would only appear as a cameo.
#2 Park Hyung Sik – 4 January 2021
Park Hyung Sik debuted the part of South Korean boy group ZE:A in 2010 but in recent years, he has been well known as an actor instead of an idol.
His debut as an actor started in 2010 though initially, he only appeared as a cameo but slowly but surely, Park Hyun Sik started to step firmly into the acting field whereas he starred in several hit dramas as lead actors such as High Society, Hwarang: The Poet Warrior Youth, Strong Girl Bong-Soon and Suits.
His latest project before his enlistment is a movie entitled Juror 8.
#3 Do Kyungsoo – 25 January 2021
Do Kyungsoo who is also well known for his stage name D.O is one of the EXO members who started his acting career in 2014 from the movie Cart and drama It’s Okay, This Is Love.
Since then, though he is still actively performing with EXO, he also well known as a great and talented actor which can be seen from the lines of awards he received from several dramas such as It’s Okay, This Is Love, Hello Monster, 100 Days May Prince and movies such as Cart, Pure Love, My Annoying Brother, Along with the Gods Part 1 & 2, Room No. 7 and even he received an award from his last project before his enlistment in May 2019, Swing Kids.
During his mandatory military service, Do Kyungsoo also performed as part of the military musical Return: The Promise of the Day played the role of young Seung Ho, a military veteran who searches for the remains of his comrades who died during the Korean War.
Do Kyungsoo will get his life as a free citizen on January 25th, 2021 and even then there are some movies projects that have been waiting for him such as Along with the Gods Part 3 and The Moon.
#4 Lee Joon Ho – 20 March 2021
As an actor, Lee Joon Ho has been well known for several hit dramas and movies he has been participating started in 2013 when he took the role as a detective in the movie Cold Eyes but not until 2015 when his name is started to raise as an actor when he starred in movie Twenty along with Kim Woo Bin and Kang Ha Neul.
As Korean drama actor, Lee Jun Ho also well known for his great acting such as in drama Good Manager, Rain or Shine, Wok of Love and the last is Confession when he acted as a lawyer named Choi Do Hyun who strives to work on solving cases related to the death penalty received by his father.
Besides his acting career, Lee Joon Ho who debuted as part of boy group 2PM formed by JYP in 2008 is also a well-known singer, songwriter, and composer, and until today is still actively participating as a musician with or without 2PM because this band has been in hiatus since their last album Gentlemen’s Game released in 2016.
#5 Lee Hong Ki – 18 April 2021
Lee Hong Ki is the next name on the list of Korean actors who will finish their mandatory military service in 2021. He joined a group band F.T. Island in 2007 as lead singer. However, his career started way before that, he was only 13 years old when he starred as Masuri’s friend in KBS2 Magic Kid Masuri in 2002.
He is one of the talented young musicians from the KPop 2nd generation who is not only well known for his rock style vocal but also able to beatbox and rap.
Per April 18th, 2021 Lee Hong Ki will be discharged from the South Korean military and he could pursue his acting career again since his last drama project as the main cast was in 2017 with Lee Seung Gi as P.K in the drama A Korean Odyssey or perhaps he could continue performing with F.T. Island again since this band has been in hiatus for a long time.
Most South Korean men decided to start their mandatory military service in their early 20s but most Korean actors prefer to wait because it may affect their career when they enlist in the military too early or during the peak of their career. However, some actors like the list of Korean actors who will finish their mandatory military service in 2021 above are those who may never lose their popularity and some of them even have a line of projects waiting right after their discharge from the military.
