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The enlistment date for A.C.E's Byeongkwan has been announced.
Top Star News announced on February 17, 2022 that the Changer singer would be joining on April 11 to serve in the Korean Augmentation Troops to the United States Army, or KATUSA.
A.C.E's official Twitter account verified the news by posting an article confirming the reports.
A.C.E. Kim Byeongkwan will formally enlist as a KATUSA member in the army
This makes the singer the second K-pop idol to join the prestigious branch, following DAY6's Young K, who is currently serving in KATUSA. It is a military unit that requires applicants to have a high level of English proficiency.
The singer also told fans, during a V Live show earlier this month, that he asked Young-hyun for guidance after seeing him get selected into KATUSA.
Young-hyun told him that he applied based on his TOEIC speaking score, so healso took the test and was accepted. He also said that Young-hyun provided him with a lot of advice.
The singer will join an elite force of Korean enlisted personnel as a KATUSA soldier, assigned to the Eighth United States Army (EUSA) as part of the two nations' joint defense against North Korea.
Before joining the army, A.C.E. released its last OT5 MV for the album Changer: Dear Eris, which made fans extremely happy because the K-pop group has been inactive for a long time, with three of the five members recently enlisting in the military.
In August of 2021, member Wow became the first member of the group to join as a public service worker.
Member Donghun took Wow's footsteps and joined as a public service worker in September 2021. On February 7, Jun, the head of A.C.E. enlisted as an active-duty soldier, with Byeongkwan announcing his enlistment days later.
Byeongkwan's life as KATUSA member
Byeongkwan is the first A.C.E. member to join KATUSA. Choices, fans of A.C.E, should not worry, as KATUSA members, unlike other cadets, are known to reside in pairs or alone at their military base.
Many soldiers believe that this technique helps conscripts escape mistreatment such as bullying and hazing. These crimes are frequently committed within barracks, where the majority of Army conscripts reside in groups of at least five or six people.
In consideration of the Covid-19 pandemic, Beat Interactive said that the actual location and time of A.C.E. Byeongkwan's enlistment will not be revealed, so fans do not have to gather to say farewell to him.
The singer will enlist on April 11th, according to the label.
He will serve in the military for a year and six months on a constant schedule. His return is expected to happen in the early months of 2024.
Fans also praised and wished well for the singer's enlistment under KATUSA
Following in the footsteps of Byeongkwan, who is enlisting at the age of 27, A.C.E maknae Chan, who is 26-years-old, may enlist earlier than planned to enable for a full group reunion sooner, instead of extending A.C.E's military phase.
