Why was SEVENTEEN’s S.Coups exempt from mandatory military service?

Last week, PLEDIS Entertainment issued a statement announcing that S.Coupsleader of SEVENTEEN, was exempt from mandatory military service due to his left knee injury caused during a recording last year.

“Due to a ruptured anterior cruciate ligament in his left knee joint, S.Coups underwent anterior cruciate ligament reconstruction surgery and anterolateral ligament reconstruction surgery. Because it was a major surgery, he has been undergoing physical rehabilitation therapy for a long time, from last year until now. As a result, it was classified as grade 5,” the agency wrote in a note.

According to information shared by the Soompi portal, South Korea’s recruitment system states that men classified as grade 5 are exempt from military enlistment during peacetime. However, if an armed conflict occurs, they are obliged to report to the Armed Forces to provide support services to combatants.

Army Exemption

Exemption from South Korean mandatory military service is a rare thing to achieve. As reported by KoreaIN Magazine, there are some reasons that are considered for the citizen to be exempt. Are they:

• Health conditions (physical, such as S.Coupsor even mental, like the actor Park Hae Jinwho suffered from depression);
• Overweight or underweight;
• Having a father with military honors;
• Be the income provider for your family;
• Have important achievements in fields such as sports, arts and entertainment (such as Olympic medal-winning athletes, for example).

Furthermore, the magazine explains that, according to the Military Manpower Administration, a South Korean body responsible for handling military service and enlistment, citizens with gifts for high culture — which includes ballet, classical music, among others — , may also be exempt from the army if they work to promote and prestige South Korean culture.

But, what happened to S.Coups?

In August last year, CARATs were surprised by a statement issued by PLEDIS announcing that the leader of SEVENTEEN was taking a hiatus after tearing the anterior cruciate ligament in his left knee while playing ball while recording the group’s content, requiring surgery. .

“On August 10, S.Coups suffered an injury to his left knee when he fell during a ball game for content filming. He was immediately taken to the hospital, where he underwent a full medical examination, including an MRI. During the examination, a rupture of the anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) was identified in the left knee.

The artist is receiving the necessary medical treatment before the operation, as recommended by the medical team, and will undergo surgery as soon as possible,” the statement explains.

The surgery to restore the ACL and anterolateral ligament took place successfully on August 21st, with the idol being discharged from the hospital on the 24th. Since then, S.Coups He has been undergoing physiotherapy and is getting better and better. Despite not yet being able to dance alongside the other 12 members, the star has already been present at the group’s activities.

In February of this year, PLEDIS Entertainment issued a new statement, announcing that the leader was cleared by doctors, and will return to activities from March, without much effort. Check out the full statement:

“Hello.

This is PLEDIS Entertainment.

We would like to provide an update on SEVENTEEN members S.Coups and Jeonghan and their resumption of activities.

S.Coups and Jeonghan have been receiving post-operative care since surgeries for knee and ankle injuries in August and December last year, respectively.

As a result of receiving constant care and getting enough rest, both artists made remarkable recoveries. They have been cleared by medical professionals to resume their scheduled activities as long as they avoid straining their bodies.

As such, S.Coups and Jeonghan will participate in SEVENTEEN activities starting in March, including the SEVENTEEN TOUR ‘FOLLOW’ AGAIN TO INCHEON, while receiving regular medical checkups. However, participation in certain stages or events may be limited in order to avoid overloading injured areas. We ask for your generous understanding.

We extend our sincere gratitude to the fans for supporting S.Coups and Jeonghan’s recovery. The company will continue to place the highest priority on the health of our artists and do our best to support artists’ recovery, ensuring they can return to their fans in good health.

Thanks”.