“EXO’s D.O. is enlisting in July,” SM Entertainment confirmed in a statement on May 30. “D.O. [full name Do Kyung-soo] applied to serve in the military and received the notice for his July 1 enlistment date today, and is planning to faithfully serve as an active duty soldier. With Xiumin’s enlistment on May 7 and with the process of military enlistments now starting for EXO, D.O. expressed his will to fulfill his military duties as soon as possible and applied after fully discussing it with the agency and his members. He hopes to enlist quietly, so we will respect his wishes and not reveal the time and location of his enlistment as well as hold any separate events on the day [of his enlistment].”
D.O.’s decision to enlist comes almost two months after fellow EXO member, Xiumin, announced that he would be heading to the military at the beginning of May. Kyungsoo has time before reaching his required enlistment date, but based on the statement from SM, it seems he wants to get the process moving now that another member of the group has enlisted. Naturally, fans are beyond devastated after hearing another EXO singer will be absent for some time. “I can’t imagine listening to an album without Kyungsoo’s voice in it,” one person wrote, while another added, “I’m so emotional right now I can’t even function properly.”
Meanwhile, D.O. wrote a personal note to his fans after the news broke, too. “You were probably surprised by the sudden news, right? I wanted to be the first one to tell you but I’m saddened that I was a little later,” he said. “I’m writing this letter because I wanted to tell you that as much as this decision was made after a long time of deliberation, I will return safely after fulfilling my duties successfully. I sincerely thank EXO-Ls who always support us, and I wish everyone would always be full of laughter and healthy. I will greet you again after I return safely and healthily.”