Singer-Actor T.O.P of Bigbang award a Rookie prize at Asia Star Awards during the 18th Busan International Film Festival on October 5, 2013 in Busan, South Korea. (Photo : Getty Images/Chung Sung-Jun)
BIGBANG's T.O.P, whose real name is Choi Seung Hyun, will be the first to enlist in the military. The 28-year-old Hallyu star recently received an official start date to begin his two-year military service.
T.O.P will begin his two-year military service on Feb. 9, 2017, according to his label YG Entertainment, as cited by Yonhap News Agency. He will first receive basic training in Nonsan, South Chungcheong Province for four weeks and is relied upon to proceed with his service as part of Seoul Metropolitan Police Agency's guard band unit.
It is said that T.O.P will complete all of his professional obligations first before the conscription date and would return to the music spotlight once his enlistment is through. He is the first among the five BIGBANG members to enter the military. It is believed G-Dragon and Taeyang will enlist in late 2017 and will be followed by Daesung and Seungri in 2018 and 2019, respectively.
"Big Bang's oldest member T.O.P will enlist first, and then other members will follow one by one," a representative from YG Entertainment told All K-pop, dismissing earlier reports claiming BIGBANG plan to enlist in the military at the same time. "In fact, G-Dragon and Taeyang are preparing solo albums for next year."
The five-member boy band is slated to come back with the release of their third full-length album in December. The said album will reportedly conclude the band's global "MADE" project.
[BIGBANG - MADE FULL ALBUM TEASER]
originally posted by https://t.co/XZQ3IOI9MY#BIGBANG #빅뱅 #MADE #20161212 #COMEBACK #BIGBANGMADE #YG pic.twitter.com/8YhntVNhay— YG Family (@ygent_official) November 22, 2016
In addition to that, fans can also see T.O.P starring in the upcoming German-Chinese thriller film "Out of Control." He will star alongside award-winning Hong Kong actress, Cecilia Cheung Pak-Chi and "The Vampire Diaries" actor Michael Trevino.
Helmed by Axel Sand and Richard Lin, "Out of Control" follows a Chinese film actress (Cheung) who is caught by a hazardous plot while going to the Berlin Film Festival. Her survival relies on a top Korean Interpol agent, Tom Young (T.O.P), who happens to be her ex-fiancé.
Watch the official trailer for "BIGBANG [MADE] - The Movie" here:
