Korean pop culture, ranked by the numbers · 한류 랭킹
2026 K팝 스타 군 입대·전역 타임라인
Thirteen dated service milestones, from NCT's December 2025 enlistments to SEVENTEEN's October 2026 call-ups. SEVENTEEN account for six of them: Jeonghan finished his service on June 25, Vernon, DK and Mingyu enlisted, and Seungkwan and Dino are due to go in October.
Data as of
| Date | Idol | Group | Event | Service type | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Doyoung도영 | NCT | Enlisted | Active duty | Wikipedia2 | |
| Jungwoo정우 | NCT | Enlisted | Army band | Wikipedia3 | |
| Taeyong태용 | NCT | Discharged | Navy band (active duty) | Wikipedia5 | |
| Kang Daniel강다니엘 | Soloist | Enlisted | Active duty | Wikipedia6 | |
| I.M아이엠 | MONSTA X | Enlisted | Active duty | Wikipedia7 | |
| Jaehyun재현 | NCT | Discharged | Army band | Wikipedia9 | |
| Kim Woo-seok김우석 | Soloist | Discharged | Active duty | Wikipedia10 | |
| Jeonghan정한 | SEVENTEEN | Discharged | Social service | Wikipedia11 | |
| Vernon버논 | SEVENTEEN | Enlisted | Social service | Wikipedia13 | |
| DK도겸 | SEVENTEEN | Enlisted | — | Wikipedia12 | |
| Mingyu민규 | SEVENTEEN | Enlisted | — | Wikipedia12 | |
| Seungkwan승관 | SEVENTEEN | Scheduled enlistment | — | Wikipedia12 | |
| Dino디노 | SEVENTEEN | Scheduled enlistment | — | Wikipedia12 |
Each row is the date a published record gives for the idol entering (enlisted) or leaving (discharged) mandatory military service. The first three rows, from December 2025, are the lead-in to 2026. DK, Mingyu, Seungkwan and Dino are dated to the month, as their source gives only the month. "Service type" is shown only where the source states it; a dash means it isn't stated there. Soloist covers Kang Daniel (formerly of Wanna One) and Kim Woo-seok (formerly of UP10TION and X1).121410
South Korea requires male citizens aged 18 to 35 to do military service, run by the Military Manpower Administration. Women can volunteer but aren't drafted. Men normally have to enlist by 28. Under a law passed in December 2020, notable pop artists can be allowed to put it off until 30.1
"Active duty" means serving as a soldier. That lasts 18 months in the Army or Marine Corps, 20 months in the Navy and 21 months in the Air Force. Men assigned to "social service" (also called public service) work instead at places such as city halls, government offices and subway stations, for 21 months. After their service ends, conscripts are placed on the reserve roster and attend annual training.1
The dates in this timeline match those lengths. Taeyong served 20 months in the Navy, Jaehyun 18 months in the Army and Jeonghan 21 months in social service.5911 Idols in a military band, like Jaehyun and Jungwoo, are serving soldiers. The band is simply the unit they're posted to.
Two members of NCT (엔시티) enlisted on the same day. Doyoung (도영; real name Kim Dong-young, 김동영) went in as an active-duty soldier, and Jungwoo (정우; Kim Jung-woo, 김정우) joined the army band. Both dates were announced in October 2025.23
With Jaehyun already serving, all three members of the NCT sub-unit NCT DoJaeJung, which debuted in April 2023, were in the military at the same time until May 2026.49
NCT leader Taeyong (태용; Lee Tae-yong, 이태용) was discharged after 20 months in the Navy. SM Entertainment had announced in March 2024 that he would join the Navy's band. He served from April 15, 2024 as an active-duty "cultural promotion" soldier in the public-relations unit of the Navy Band and Honor Guard Battalion.5
Kang Daniel (강다니엘; born Kang Eui-geon, 강의건), the former Wanna One (워너원) member, enlisted as an active-duty soldier. After basic training at the Korea Army Training Center, he served as an assistant training instructor. In April, Wanna One reunited for the reality series Wanna One Go: Back to Base, in which Kang made only brief appearances because of his service.614
The same day, I.M (아이엠; Im Chang-kyun, 임창균) of MONSTA X (몬스타엑스) enlisted as an active-duty soldier, three days after the group released its English single "Growing Pains". Both men performed at the Army's Ground Forces Festival in Gyeryong on October 1–5.786
NCT's Jaehyun (재현; Jeong Yun-o, 정윤오) served in the army's military band from November 4, 2024 to May 3, 2026, and performed the official song for the 2025 Armed Forces Day. After his discharge he went on his first concert tour, Mono, which visited five Asian cities in June and July 2026.9
Kim Woo-seok (김우석), who was in UP10TION and X1, began his active-duty Army service the same day as Jaehyun and left on the same date. After training at the Nonsan Training Center, where he was appointed company commander of his trainees, he served with the Military Band and Honor Guard of the Army Personnel Command at Gyeryongdae.10
SEVENTEEN (세븐틴) held their 10th South Korean fan meeting on June 21 and 22, their last group activity before further enlistments. Earlier, on April 5, all 13 members had decided to renew their contracts with Pledis Entertainment. The group plan to return as 13 by 2028, after what they called a "temporary chapter apart".12
Jeonghan (정한; Yoon Jeong-han, 윤정한) was the first SEVENTEEN member to enlist, starting as a social service worker on September 26, 2024. He completed his service on June 25, 2026, making him the first member to finish.1112
While serving, he and Wonwoo received permission to accept the group's Presidential Commendation at the 16th Korea Popular Culture and Arts Awards on October 23, 2025. After his discharge, he was announced for a new SEVENTEEN sub-unit with Joshua, due to debut in October 2026.12
Vernon (버논; Chwe Han-sol, 최한솔) entered a training center for basic military training. After it, he serves as a social service worker. His service is scheduled to end on May 19, 2028, 21 months later.13
Several idols who enlisted in 2025 are still in service. SEVENTEEN's Wonwoo (원우) began social service on April 3, 2025. Woozi (우지) and Hoshi (호시) enlisted on September 15 and 16, 2025, and Hoshi's discharge is scheduled for March 15, 2027.1215 ASTRO's Cha Eun-woo (차은우) enlisted on July 28, 2025 after being accepted for the Army Band, and since September 2025 has served in the Ministry of National Defense's military band.20