Exo’s Xiumin is leaving the army, following Shinee’s Minho and BtoB’s Minhyuk in completing military service – when will these K-pop stars be back on stage?
Recently, SM Entertainment confirmed that Xiumin from Exo will soon be returning from compulsory military service, making him the first member of the South Korean boy band to return to civilian life, on December 6.
Naturally, many fans are wondering what this means for the group, and also wondering which of his bandmates – and which other Korean idols – might be next to resume active musical duties. We did the digging to compile this list of a few stars you might be missing something bad.
Key from Shinee
Was Key’s media comeback rushed? That’s what some fans are asking after his appearance earlier this month on DoReMi Market – to feature Girl’s Day’s Hyeri – less than two months after his military discharge. He first showed his interest in the variety show on Shinee’s V Live channel.
He also recently he appeared on Radio Star with Paul Kim and shared stories about his time in the army, including a tale involving Lee Chang-sub from BtoB.
Minho from Shinee
As the final member to be discharged, Minho’s return to civilian life makes the return of much-loved boy band Shinee finally possible. November 15 saw both Minho and Dongwoo from Infinite mark the end of their army duties. And surprisingly, in another vlog clip published on Shinee’s official YouTube channel, Minho wore his uniform when he went to support bandmate Taemin’s solo comeback with the album Never Gonna Dance Again: Act 1.
As Shinee’s last group release was Countless two years ago fans are eager to hear of plans for an upcoming album soon.
Minhyuk from BtoB
Rapper Minhyuk shared how happy he is to be working on an album with the others after so long, while also admitting the military “was physically strenuous sometimes”.
D.O. from Exo
Sadly, D.O. from Exo is still not back to us officially – but there’s less than two months to go before we can see him performing on stage again. Before he enlisted, D.O. appeared in one of the hit films of 2017, Along with the Gods: The Two Worlds, and its 2018 sequel Along with the Gods: The Last 49 Days. Catching the eye as an actor in these movies led to him getting a role in the hit K-drama 100 Days My Prince.
After the success of their partnership in the Along with the Gods films, D.O. will reunite with director Kim Yong-hwa for The Moon, another science fiction movie due out in 2021. The plot concerns a man who is left in space after an accident, and man on Earth who is trying to rescue him. Long-popular Korean film star Sol Kyung-gu has taken the lead role, increasing fans’ expectation for the project.
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After discharge from military service, Shinee’s Key appeared in DoReMi Market while Minho has been active on V Live; meanwhile Minhyuk joined subunit BtoB 4U while 100 Days My Prince actor D.O. plans to star in a film