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Manila Bulletin devider Entertainment devider Celebrities devider EXO's Chen discharged from military, to participate in Tokyo show

EXO's Chen discharged from military, to participate in Tokyo show

Published Apr 26, 2022 09:22 am

Chen, 29, a member of K-pop boy band EXO, has completed his military service in South Korea.

The K-pop idol was discharged from the military on April 25, or 18 months after enlisting on Oct. 26, 2020.

EXO's Chen (SM Entertainment)

He started as an active duty soldier but his status was later converted to full-time reserve due to his marriage and the birth of their child, Korean media reported.

Under Korea’s Military Service Act law, a full-time reserve is defined as “personnel who are called up and perform active duty service to support the defense of their homeland and affairs related thereto, after having performed active service as an active duty serviceman for a specified period and then having been transferred to reserve service.”

Article 65 of the law states that “where a person in active duty service (including those who perform military service as prescribed in Article 21, 24 or 25) wishes to perform full-time reserve service due to child-birth, he may be transferred to the reserve service, as prescribed by Presidential Decree.”

Chen is the fourth member of EXO, which debuted in 2012, to complete military service after Xiumin, D.O. and Suho, who completed his last Feb. 13.

Currently, Chanyeol and Baekhyun are fulfilling their military service. Chanyeol enlisted on March 29, 2021 while Baekhyun started on May 6, 2021. All qualified Korean men are required by law to serve in the military by age 28.

Chen with other EXO members before his enlistment in 2020 (Instagram)

SM Entertainment announced that Chen, along with EXO’s Suho and Kai, will participate at the “SMTown Live 2022: SMCU Express @ Tokyo” show that will be held on Aug. 27 and 28 at Tokyo Dome. This will be the first in-person SMTown Live show in three years.

Other performers include NCT, Red Velvet, Aespa, TVXQ, Super Junior, Taeyeon and Hyoyeon of Girls’ Generation, SHINee’s Onew, Key and Minho, BoA and Kangta.

Last Jan. 19, SM Entertainment announced that Chen’s wife gave birth to their second child.

“It is true that Chen's wife gave birth to their second child,” said SM Entertainment.

Chen’s wife was belatedly announced as pregnant with the second baby in November last year. Chen’s second baby came in nearly one year and nine months after his wife gave birth to their first baby on April 29, 2020.

In January 2020, Chen revealed that he was getting married and that his girlfriend was pregnant. She gave birth three months later.

The poster for SMTown Live 2022: SMCU Express @ Tokyo (SM Entertainment)

Related Tags

SMTown Live military service Korea EXO EXO Chen
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