This 4th Generation K-Pop Idol Has Already Completed His Military Requirements

One part of being a fan of K-Pop boy groups is the acceptance that many of them will be required to complete a mandatory military enlistment. All male Koreans must serve as active duty soldiers or in public service, provided they meet specific health requirements.

BTS’s J-Hope recently enlisted.

The time that must be served ranges from 21 to 24 months, meaning fans will go without seeing their faves for long periods.

As such, one thing that may be appealing in a boy group member is if they have already served their enlistment, like all required members of BTOB or OnlyOneOf‘s KB.

BTOB OnlyOneOf’s KB | Naver

One fourth-generation K-Pop group member shared that he has already completed his military service, despite being only 18 years old!

On May 15, a new group named The Wind officially debuted with “Island.” The group are under With US Entertainment, a sub-label of Around US Entertainment, the agency founded after HIGHLIGHT departed from Cube Entertainment.

Of the group’s seven members, six are Korean, and one, Thanatorn, is from Thailand.

The Wind | With US Entertainment Thanatorn | With US Entertainment

During a fan meeting held by the group after a music show, leader Jaewon shared that Thanatorn had already completed his military enlistment!

Men in Thailand must also serve but with a few significant differences. For one, service lasts two years, but service time can vary depending on whether one volunteers instead of participating in the random lottery.

GOT7’s BamBam waiting to participate in the enlistment lottery.

As Jaewon explained it, it seems like Thanatorn completed some training that fulfilled his military requirements, making him not need to participate in the random lottery at a later date!

230527 음중 미니팬미팅

최초 05군필돌 거짓말 같다…혼미해…#더윈드 #THEWIND #The_Wind#타나톤 #THANATORN pic.twitter.com/QIXGDhxMUn

— 체다 (@S2thevv) May 27, 2023

It’s kind of like the combat class that Korea used to have. If you pass the class, you get credit for it, and your service gets waived. So he knows how to handle a gun and everything. Basically, he’s 19-years-old (Korean age) but done with his military service.

Jaewon

The group’s oldest member was born in 2004, and with 94-liners just beginning to enlist this year, the group will have a long time of promoting without an enlistment!