Actor Jung Il-Woo arrives for the 47th PaekSang Art Awards at Kyunghee University Art Center on May 26, 2011 in Seoul, South Korea. (Photo : Getty Images/Chung Sung-Jun)
It looks like actor Jung Il Woo will soon be taking a break from his acting career. Fans will be disappointed to learn that the "Cinderella and Four Knights" actor will be starting his mandatory military service in December.
"Jung Il Woo will be enlisting next month," Jung's agency HB Entertainment said in a statement obtained by AllKPop. "He told us he wanted to leave quietly, so it is difficult for us to reveal the exact date of enlistment."
In May, the agency announced that the actor has decided to enlist as a public service officer instead of an active duty soldier. However, at the time it was not known when exactly the actor would commence his service.
In South Korea, it is compulsory for able-bodied male citizens aged between 18 and 35 to devote two years of their life towards military service. The military enlistment service is a mandate for all citizens and celebrities are not exempt from the same.
In 2006, Jung and actor Lee Min Ho were involved in a serious car accident that claimed the lives of the driver and a fellow passenger who was travelling with them. Both stars suffered severe injuries in the collision and spent several months in hospice care to receive treatment for the same, according to Soompi. Doctors had to insert a steel rod into Lee's thigh while Jung suffered a concussion, a cerebral hemorrhage and a broken hip and wrist in the accident.
As a result of their busy schedules, Jung and Lee were unable to fully recover from their injuries and receive a sufficient amount of rehabilitation. The extent of their injuries deemed both actors physically unfit and unable to serve as active duty soldiers.
Jung's agency revealed that the actor is suffering from cerebral aneurysm and could be exempt from the mandatory military service, but he is determined to serve for his country and although he won't be an active soldier in the field, he will try do his best as a public service worker.
Jung will have to undergo basic training for a month before he begins duty as a public service worker. For more details on the story, watch the video below:
