Defense Ministry scraps ' Soldier-Entertainer' system
A series of fiascos involving big stars in uniforms sour public opinion
By Kang Seung-woo
Wi Yong-seop, deputy spokesperson for the Defense Ministry, speaks during a briefing at the ministry’s building in Seoul, Thursday. The ministry said it will abolish a controversial “entertainment soldier” system. / Yonhap
Choi Dong-uk, left, and Lee Sang-cheol
The Defense Ministry said Thursday that it will “retire” the controversial “entertainment soldier” system next month, a dishonorable discharge for the scheme, 16 years after it was introduced in 1997.
The system has received much public criticism because big stars serving their mandatory service enjoy special perks such as gaining additional overnight passes.
“We feel deeply responsible for the poor management of entertainment soldiers,” the Ministry of National Defense (MND) said in a statement. “We have decided to scrap the system.”
Currently, there are 15 entertainers serving in the military assigned to a unit that performs for active servicemen and they are under the control of the Defense Media Agency (DMA).
The decision comes after a television investigative program released video footage of two singer-soldiers who drank until late at night.
Private Choi Dong-uk, who is better known as Seven, and Private First Class Lee Sang-cheol, active as Sangchoo, were caught visiting a massage parlor, after an event in Chuncheon, Gangwon Province in June.
The system was established in 1997 to help boost the morale of troops as well as promote a positive image of the military by touring military bases, hosting recreational events and appearing in the military’s TV and radio programs,
The ministry said that a series of scandals involving celebrity soldiers undermined military unity and morale and produced negative publicity.
Those caught offending the code of conduct will face disciplinary action and will be relocated to field units in Gangwon and Gyeonggi Provinces.
Lee and Choi, the two delinquent soldier-entertainers, will be punished for going absent without leave (AWOL), while five will receive a heavy penalty for using cellular phones, a violation.
Another corporal, who left his post at an appropriate time with permission from an official in charge, will face lesser punishment.
The ministry added that five officials at the agency were disciplined, and six others received warnings.
The military’s alleged special treatment for celebrities on service has been a hot-button issue.
According to the Defense Ministry last October, 32 entertainment soldiers who were discharged between November 2009 and September 2012 took 75 leave days on average, 1.7 times more than the 43 days for ordinary soldiers.
In addition, singer Rain was embroiled in a controversy because he took leave too often to pursue a romance with actress Kim Tae-hee in January.
After the romance came to light, critics complained that he was able to enjoy his private life ― despite being on duty ― while ordinary soldiers remained confined to their barracks. He then faced seven days of disciplinary action.
All able-bodied men are subject to about two years mandatory military service.
It plays a key role in political elections, while some celebrities and athletes have been arrested and forced into near exile after getting caught evading the draft.