K-pop boy band EXO member Park Chanyeol has enlisted in the Korean military on March 29 to fulfill his mandatory duty as a citizen.
The 28-year-old singer and actor entered a military camp to undergo four weeks of basic military training before he serves as an active duty soldier in the army for 18 months. The place and time of enlistment was not disclosed by his agency, SM Entertainment.
He is the fifth member of EXO to fulfill military service after Xiumin, D.O, Suho and Chen. A few days ago, Baekhyun also announced that he would be enlisting soon.
On Instagram, Chanyeol posted a photo of himself wearing a watch and wrote, “Bye #Kyungsoowatch.” Korean media reported that the watch model is mainly worn by soldiers in the military and D.O., who was discharged last January, seems to have used the same watch.
Chanyeol’s enlistment came after his new movie “The Box” was released in Korea on March 24. The movie premiered at No. 1 at the box office, dislodging the Oscar-nominated “Minari” from the top and ending its 21-day winning streak.
Data from the Korean Film Council (KOFIC) showed Chanyeol’s “The Box” sold 29,274 tickets on opening day on March 24 to become the new No. 1 movie in Korea, compared to 12,484 tickets sold by “Minari” on that day.
“The Box” earned $208,269 on its first day and as of March 28, it has sold 75,723 tickets and grossed $548,572 at the box office. At the weekend box office from March 26 to 28, “The Box” placed fourth in the rankings.
Last February, Chanyeol posted a letter for fans, saying, "I reflected on how I will not cause you worry again. I will do my best to make it clear that you were not wrong to believe in me," SBS News reported.
He will be discharged on Sept. 28, 2022, according to Korean media.