According to reports on November 27, popular K-Drama actor Ahn Hyo Seop has been fully exempted from mandatory military duty.
According to South Korean law, all able-bodied men are required to serve in the military for a selected period of time by the age of 30. But for some special cases, exemptions can be made, which include certain health issues or outstanding national-level achievements in sports or different art forms.
Born in 1995, Ahn is currently 28 years old. He has also been enjoying soaring popularity with hit K-Dramas like Business Proposal and Dr. Romantic Season 2 and 3. After his latest project, A Time Called You, the actor recently hosted a fanmeeting, which led a lot of people to expect that his enlistment news might be coming soon.
But it turns out he is not obligated to join the military in South Korea, thanks to his Canadian citizenship. Though Ahn Hyo Seop was born in Seoul, South Korea, to Korean parents, his family emigrated to Canada when he was 7 years old. He spent the next ten years in the country and was scouted by JYP Entertainment while attending high school there. He returned to South Korea at age 17 and began his life as a trainee.
Trainee Ahn Hyo Seop (extreme right) with JYP trainees Cecilia (left) and Park Seoham (middle) | @Cecilia宋妍霏/Weibo
Though he spent three years training to be an idol, he found the job to be stressful and shifted his focus to acting. He made his acting debut in 2015 and has steadily risen in the industry to become a top-tier star today. So, his military exemption has come as delightful news for his global fans.
Meanwhile, the actor is rumored to appear in the upcoming movie Omniscient Readers’ Viewpoint as the male lead alongside a possible star-studded cast, including Lee Min Ho and BLACKPINK’s Jisoo.
