Ahn Hyo Seop, Kim Woo Bin, Seo In Guk: Actors who were exempted from mandatory military enlistment

BTS members are currently in news as they gear-up to enroll for the mandatory military training, which requires male citizens between the ages of 18 and 35 to serve in defence. However, a few have been exempted from the same for various reasons. From Ahn Hy Seop to Kim Woo Bin and Seo In Guk, take a look at stars who have been excused from the mandatory military enlistment.

The 'Business Proposal' actor, who is 28 years old, was expected to join the mandatory military service in South Korea, but it was recently revealed that he has been exempted from the same. Reports suggest that despite Ahn Hyo Seop being born in Korea, his family moved to Canada when he was six years old. He returned to Korea only after being cast by JYP Entertainment. Reportedly, due to his Canadian citizenship, Ahn Hyo Seop has been exempted from the mandatory enlistment.

In 2018, it was revealed that Kim Woo Bin's health had halted his military enlistment. His agency had said in a statement, "After Kim Woo Bin was diagnosed with nasopharyngeal cancer last May, he received his military enlistment draft notice from the Military Manpower Administration not long after he finished his chemotherapy treatments. He went in for another physical examination, and was judged as Grade 6, unable to enlist."

The ‘Hospital Playlist’ star was exempted from the mandatory military service, reportedly due to his family’s condition. According to Koreaboo, he was the sole caretaker of his mother after his father passed away and the actor even had to quit his school to work in musicals and the acting industry, so that he could provide for his family.

In March 2017, Seo In Guk had enlisted for the mandatory military training, however he was soon exempted from the same. It was reported that he was excused from duty because of osteochondral lesions, which cause chronic pain in the ankle. Soon he landed into controversy after it was alleged that he took advantage of his medical condition to avoid the mandatory service. Reacting to the same, the actor had then stated, "As an actor and a singer, I wanted to confidently serve as an active-duty soldier and fulfil my military duty. So even after the results came out, I kept requesting the hospital to let me stay in the army. I wanted to somehow stay, because if I were to leave in that situation, I would be embarrassed. However, the hospital said that because I was not well enough to receive military training, they couldn’t do anything but send me out." The 'Doom at Your Service' actor had also apologised to his fans post the controversy.