By Jae-Ha Kim
Kocowa.com
April 26, 2019
April 27, 2019. Mark that date in your calendar, because after having served 1 year, 8 months and 13 days in South Korea’s military, Ji Chang-Wook will be discharged on Saturday.
Hallelujah!
Ji started his mandatory military service on August 14, 2017. This was about one month after the finale of his hit K-Drama, “Suspicious Partner,” aired. He enrolled for active duty in the South Korean Army’s 3rd Infantry Division in the artillery brigade in Gangwon Province. (Fellow actor Joo Won was in the same division). Unlike some celebrities who wanted to quietly enter the military without any fanfare (like Lee Jong-Suk did this past March), Ji had a fanmeeting to say goodbye to his admirers. On the day of his enlistment, he was in good spirits as fans lined up to wish him luck.
Ji is a natural athlete, which is why he was so convincing in the physical roles he played in dramas such as “Healer” and “The K2.” So it doesn’t come as much of a surprise that he entered an infantry that’s considered to be one of South Korea’s strongest.
Though he wasn’t allowed to work on any films or K-Dramas as a soldier, he and fellow performers Kang Ha Neul and Sunggyu (Infinite) were allowed to act in the musical, “Shinheung Military Academy,” which was presented by the Republic of Korea Army (ROKA).
So what’s next for Ji? As expected, he’s getting lots of offers for his post-military comeback. Earlier this week, tvN released a statement that they wanted to work with Ji again as soon as he’s acclimated back to civilian life: “It’s true we offered Ji Chang-Wook a role as the lead of ‘Make Me Melt’. He is currently looking over it.” (“Make Me Melt” is a sci-fi/rom-com where the lead characters wake up 20 years after they participated in a scientific experiment.)
There’s also talk of another drama called “City of Stars,” where he would portray an astronaut.Bear in mind these are all offers from showrunners who would like to work with Ji. He hasn’t committed to any of these projects. His agency, Glorious Entertainment, released this statement: “A lot of drama and film scripts have come in, and [Ji Chang-Wook] is currently in the process of reviewing them. ‘City of Stars’ is one of those dramas. As he is still in a military position, he is careful to speak on any official activities or schedules.”
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