Lee Dong-gun enters military Korean military

Korean actor Lee Dong-gun entered the military today as part of fulfilling the country's two-year mandatory military services.

Lee, 29, bid farewell to scores of reporters and fans who showed up at the 102 Reserves in Chuncheon of Gangwon Province although news of his military entrance broke out just the previous day.

"I'm worried that I may be a nuisance to the people who will undergo training with me because of how my military entrance unintentionally got delayed. So I'm going to train even harder," Lee started by saying.

He had received a draft notice from the military in May and July of last year but deferred his entrance over personal reasons. The average Korean man serves his military duties in his early to mid-twenties.

Lee also apologized to his fans for informing them of his military entrance date late. "Please don't feel disappointed. I didn't tell my fans because I didn't want them to come here from far away," he said, adding that everyone except for his family, found out about the news yesterday.

The actor will receive basic training at Chuncheon's 102 Reserve for five weeks and later be assigned to a military base.

Lee, who first debuted as a singer in 1998, rose to stardom after starring in 2004 TV series "Lovers in Paris" and "Sweet 18." He has also made several big screen appearances including "My Boyfriend is Type B."

Reporter : Ko Jae-wan star@
Editor : Jessica Kim jesskim@