Seventeen member DK began his mandatory military service on Tuesday, becoming the sixth member of the K-pop group to enlist.

His agency, Pledis Entertainment, announced Tuesday that the singer is entering an Army training center and is scheduled to be discharged in March 2028. Out of consideration for other recruits and their families, DK is expected to enter quietly, with no separate event held.

In South Korea, all able-bodied men are required to serve roughly 18 to 21 months in the military, a requirement that applies to K-pop idols as well and has long shaped how boy groups schedule releases, tours and member activities.

The day before his enlistment, DK hosted a livestream on a fan platform to say goodbye, repeatedly touching his hair as if still adjusting to how short it had become.

"My head looks so round now," the singer said through tears. "I turned on the livestream to tell you I'd serve well and come back, but I don't know why I'm crying."

"I think I'm tearing up because it's starting to feel real. It's not that I'm afraid of enlisting," he added. "I think I'm going to miss you all a lot."

In July, all 13 members of Seventeen — the group debuted in 2015 — renewed their contracts with Pledis Entertainment for a second time, reaffirming their commitment to staying together.

"The 13 of us decided to stay together because we believe there is nothing we cannot accomplish with one another, and we share a desire to go further as a team," the group said at the time.

With DK scheduled for discharge in March 2028 and other members also enlisting in phases, the group's activities are expected to continue in a partial-rotation format, a common approach for K-pop groups navigating staggered military service.

This article from the Hankook Ilbo, the sister publication of The Korea Times, is translated by a generative AI system and edited by The Korea Times.