It has been found that JYJ’s Kim Junsu and Kim Jaejoong will be enlisting in the military this year.

Multiple sources in the K-pop industry have stated that the two singers are currently deciding on a date ahead of their military enlistment. In Kim Jaejoong’s case, he has already been given multiple draft notices, but has pushed back his enlistment due to reasons such as long periods of time spent overseas. However, it has become difficult for him to push back his enlistment any further.

A representative of the industry stated, “He is currently deciding on an enlistment date with his agency due to issues surrounding frequent overseas concerts and scheduled activities,” and “From what I know, he either plans to go near the end of this year, or next January to February at the latest.”

Kim Junsu, who received a second grade active duty designation, is also in discussions about his enlistment date.

A representative stated, “Taking into consideration the current controversy surrounding celebrity soldiers, he would like to enlist as a regular solider.” He continued to add, “The enlistment of male celebrities has always been a sensitive topic, and both singers are of the opinion to go the regular track and avoid the criticism that follows a shaky celebrity enlistment. They can’t help but be cautious as their status as top stars will make their enlistment a hot topic.”

Born in 1986 and 1987 respectively, Kim Jaejoong and Kim Junsu still have a bit of leeway age-wise in pushing back their enlistment, but both have already pushed it back numerous times. All three members of the group became the center of spotlight when they visited the Office of Military Manpower Administration for their physical checkups on the 14th of February, 2011. Kim Jaejoong’s draft notice set his enlistment for September, 2011 but was reported to have been pushed back to the following year. Now, the singer can’t help but be aware of public sentiment surrounding celebrity enlistments.

A representative of C-JeS stated, “All three members of JYJ plan to enlist in the military, like every other male in Korea.” However, he did not say much on when exactly the members would be enlisting.

Meanwhile, JYJ’s other member Park Yoochun has received a fourth grade reservist duty designation due to his asthma. There is no news yet on when Park Yoochun plans to enlist in the military.

Source: [kukinews]
Translated & Shared by: dongbangdata.net

[T/N: A few clarifications on military service for those who are worried.

– What is the grade system?
The grade system is one that designates men enlisting in the military to certain ‘grades’, depending on their physical state. Grade 1 is the highest ranking you can receive and a person is docked to lower grades based on physical attributes such as poor eyesight, high blood pressure, being underweight or any physical illnesses. Grade 1~3 are assigned to active duty, Grade 4 is assigned to reservist duty and so on (I omitted the rest since they don’t apply to JYJ)

-What does active duty mean in Korea?
Active duty in Korea doesn’t mean anything overseas (for the most part). This usually means the initial training/boot camp period + staying at a base in Korea for the rest of the enlistment. Soldiers get holidays once in a while to leave the base and visit family and friends, which is why it’s not unusual to see see people in uniform in the subway or buses.

-How long is the enlistment period?
1. Army/Marine – 1 year 9 months
2. Navy – 1 year 11 months
3. Air Force – 2 years
Each person can choose which he sector in the military he would like to go to.

-Is pushing back your military enlistment normal?
Yes! Regular people, not just celebrities, push back their enlistment for various reasons. The most used case is that Koreans who are studying overseas can push back their enlistment date in order to further their studies. In the case of celebrities, most push their enlistment date back till their late 20s or early 30s so it isn’t unusual for JYJ to have done so as well. 
Most regular people just decide to go early (first or second year of university) so that it doesn’t hinder them in their upperclassmen years when they’re trying to find jobs and graduate. (My guy friends are all disappearing one by one ;___;)

Hope this helps a little!]

Momma’s Source: sharingyoochun.net

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