June 27, 2013 12:25
The Defense Ministry has embarked on an audit of the entertainment corps after a series of misbehaviors by the coddled stars in its ranks made headlines. The ministry is reportedly considering an end to assigning celebrities to exclusive entertainment duties.
Some soldiers in the corps reportedly drank alcohol until midnight after a performance in Chuncheon, Gangwon Province on June 21. They included Lee Sang-cheol, known as Sangchu, and Choi Dong-wook, a pop star more commonly known as Se7en, who left their motel at 2:30 a.m. and were caught visiting an adult massage parlor.
In an investigation they testified that they went to get a massage because their knees and back hurt but left when they realized it was a brothel. A military spokesman promised they will be strictly disciplined.
In January, pop star Rain was grounded for just a week for a string of violations including regular trysts with his girlfriend, actress Kim Tae-hee while on official duty.
Since then, the Army implemented special guidelines to manage personnel, but its effectiveness is constantly being called into question.
Defense Minister Kim Kwan-jin apologized for the latest misbehavior of celebrity soldiers at the National Assembly's Defense Committee on Wednesday. The social media were abuzz with censorious opinion. One Twitter user wrote, "Seeing the erratic behavior of celebrity soldiers makes me feel that those who served the country diligently were stupid after all."
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