South Korea scraps celebrity troops caught in clubs
Entertainers will serve with regular soldiers after eight visited bars and singer went on date
South Korea's Ministry of National Defence announced yesterday it would end the controversial "entertainment soldier" system, which allows conscripted celebrity soldiers to serve as publicity agents and entertainers for the armed forces.
The move comes after local broadcaster SBS aired a video last month of celebrity conscripts going absent without leave to drink and visit massage parlours after performing in a concert hosted by the defence ministry.
After the video aired, Koreans were outraged at what they considered to be a lack of military discipline and special treatment for celebrities.
In response to the criticism, defence officials conducted a special audit and announced that they would scrap the system altogether. "The audit revealed the purpose of the unit has been tarnished and has lost the trust of the public" the ministry said.
Eight soldiers featured in the video - including popular singers Sangchu (Lee Sang-chul) and Seven (Choi Dong-wook) - face disciplinary action for violating the code of conduct, including behaviour such as using mobile phones, going absent without leave and visiting bars and clubs.
Five officials in the Defence Media Agency will also be disciplined while six others received warnings.