Which idols will enlist this year...

I love Kpop but I hate the moment when my idol have to enlist ! Here are some idols that will enlist this year ( I still hope to be rumours ) :

Nearly every Korean male has got to go the military at some point, but who’s up for enlistment this year? Normally, Korean males go right after high school or 1 or 2 years into college. That would mean any idols born before 1994 are already older than the normal age for enlistment.

JYJ’s Jaejoong has already been drafted, and has delayed his enlistment at least twice, making him the most likely to go in 2013. Junsu may go as well, though it’s doubtful the two will go at the same time. As far as we know right now, Yoochun is exempt from service due to severe asthma, but he seems to have mysteriously shaved his head for some reason. Although he’s told fans that it wasn’t for military service, what could it be for?

TVXQ‘s Yunho is getting a little old to keep putting his service off, but we think SM Entertainment will try to squeeze one more massive hit out of the group before he goes. Changmin just landed a hosting gig, so he’s unlikely to go any time soon. It’s likely that a Super Junior member or two will enlist in 2013. Age-wise, Yesung is the most likely candidate (he’s also the next one on the list), but he is also the power behind Super Junior’s vocals. Perhaps next-in-line is Shindong and Sungmin?

There were false rumors that Big Bang announced at the Hong Kong stop of their ‘Alive’ tour that T.O.P will enlist in 2013, and that the full band won’t be back together again until 2018 due to staggered enlistment dates. These are just false rumors, of course, T.O.P is at a good age to go. On the other hand, Big Bang is enjoying tremendous popularity worldwide at the moment.

2AM‘s Changmin has already completed his service, but the other three members have not. Also, there was a mysterious agency who talked about their vocal group in which 3 members had to go. By age, Seulong should be the next to go, and that could happen this year. We doubt that any members of 2PM will enlist in 2013. They’ve said before they want to all enlist together (except for Nichkhun, who isn’t Korean and therefore not eligible to serve), but since they have a big Korean comeback this year, we think enlistment is still a ways down the road for this group.

MBLAQ is still seen as “Rain’s group” in Korea. With Rain‘s recent scandals, MBLAQ will avoid enlisting until he’s been back a little while. With their recent scandals, Block B members may choose to also get their enlistment over with. We know Taeil was already preparing for enlistment before he debuted, and since B-Bomb and Jaehyo are the same age, and the rest of the members are already over the normal enlistment age, the group may see some members going.

While U-KISS, B2ST, and INFINITE‘s members are old enough to enlist, we think they’ll put it off for a little while longer. B1A4 and Boyfriend are just building up steam with their careers, so it’s doubtful any of them will enlist this year, either. Same with Seo In Guk. None of the 2012 rookies will enlist this year unless they are drafted or they want to gracefully quit their groups. As far as actors go, Kim Soo Hyun had his physical in 2012, so he’s a likely candidate. Yoo Seung Ho has also expressed interest in enlisting soon.

Because of the recent celebrity soldier scandals, you’ll most likely see more celebrities avoiding the entertainment unit as much as possible, and perhaps even choosing to enlist in more difficult branches of the military. Hyun Bin famously chose to enlist in the marines, and has received a lot of love and respect for doing so. Celebrities will be much quieter during their service, avoiding SNS and generally staying out of the public eye as much as possible until they’re done serving.

-L.