EXO’s Xiumin Confirmed To Enlist In Korean Military In Less Than 1 Month & Fans Are Devastated

EXO's Xiumin announced in a special letter to fans on April 9 that he will be enlisting in the military in May 2019. Fans are upset that his military enlistment is happening so soon.

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April 9, 2019 8:28AM EDT
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Members of the boy band EXO perform on the stage at Olympic Stadium during the PyeongChang Olympics closing ceremony in PyeongChang, Gangwon Province, South Korea, 25 February 2018 (issued 26 February 2018). PyeongChang 2018 Olympic Games, Korea - 25 Feb 2018
South Korean boy band EXO poses for a photo during a press conference at the Main Press Center in PyeongChang, northeastern South Korea, 21 February 2018, about its plan to take the stage at the closing ceremony of the 2018 PyeongChang Winter Olympics on 25 February. Boy band to appear at PyeongChang Winter Olympics' closing ceremony, Seoul, Korea - 21 Feb 2018
Members of the boy band EXO perform during the PyeongChang Winter Olympics closing ceremony at the Olympic Stadium in PyeongChang, Gangwon Province, South Korea, 25 February 2018 (issued 26 February 2018). PyeongChang 2018 Olympic Games, Korea - 25 Feb 2018
Image Credit: SplashNews

Xiumin’s announcement letter to fans reads: “Hello EXO-L~ This is Xiumin! Flowers have been blooming nicely these days. Have you gone out to see them? Flowers are appearing, the weather has gotten warmer, and yesterday was EXO’s seventh anniversary since debut!! I feel gratitude to everyone and everything as I feel that EXO was born at a very nice time. Congratulations again to our members->. To be honest, I am writing today as there is important news I want to share with all of you first. Military duty! I am going to the military on May 7!! ‘I will return in good health.’ I plan on arranging a time for us in the near future so that I can say these words to you directly. We have a CBX concert [in Japan] soon, and we will return after completing it successfully, so please wait just a bit~^^ Then let us all work hard on getting through today, as well!”

Xiumin, 29, whose real name is Kim Min-seok, is the first member of EXO to enlist in the South Korean military. When fans learned about Xiumin’s enlistment, they got understandably emotional and started sending him love. One fan tweeted: “28 days.. in 28 days Kim Minseok a.k.a. EXO Xiumin will start to serve his country for 2 years. Let’s send him millions of encouragement and love EXO-Ls. Fighting Kim Minseok! Serve well your country. We will patiently wait for your return.”

In South Korea, it is required for all males between 18 to 35 to serve in the military for two years. SHINee’s Onew joined the army in Dec. 2018. Before Xiumin enlists, EXO is set to perform in EXO-CBX’s Japanese concert in Saitama, Japan, on April 16 and 17. They’ll also be performing in Kobe, Japan, from April 27 to April 29.