Actor Kim Soo-hyun to be discharged July 1

A-list actor Kim Soo-hyun debuted in 2007. Courtesy of KEYEAST

By Dong Sun-hwa

Actor Kim Soo-hyun, 31, will return to civilian life on July 1 after finishing 21 months of mandatory military duty.

“Kim has been reviewing a range of works ahead of the discharge,” a spokesperson for his agency KEYEAST said in a press release Monday. “He has already clinched a contract with a beauty brand.”

Kim was to do alternative military service due to a cardiac condition. But after an additional physical examination, he was permitted to serve on active duty. Kim joined the army on Oct. 23, 2017.

He volunteered to serve for a frontline battalion. In 2015, the battalion's two staff sergeants had their legs severed due to landmine explosion. The accident erupted when they patrolled the southern side of the demilitarized zone known as DMZ, near the city of Paju, Gyeonggi Province.

“After discharge, Kim will do his best as an actor as always,” the spokesperson said.

Kim debuted in 2007 and rose to stardom after appearing in the dramas “Dream High (2011),“ “Moon Embracing the Sun (2012)” and “My Love from the Star (2013-14).”

In 2015, at 27, he became the youngest winner of the KBS Drama Awards. He also found movie success in the films “The Thieves (2012)” and “Secretly, Greatly (2013).”