Fans outraged after pictures of SHINee’s Taemin privately enlisting in the army make rounds

K-pop group SHINee’s youngest member, Taemin, will be enlisting in the army today as part of his mandatory military service.

Taemin, who debuted in 2008, is part of the K-pop supergroup Super M and a SHINee member. He is incredibly popular in the industry and is widely recognized as the “Idol’s Idol.” Taemin gained critical acclaim after his solo success and for his artistic vision with hits like “Move,” “Want,” and “Idea.”

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When and where will Taemin be enlisting?

Taemin will officially enlist in the army on May 31st. Earlier this year, he applied for the army's music corps and was accepted. He will be going through six weeks of basic training before joining the army's music corps.

In light of the ongoing pandemic and to respect Taemin's personal decision, his location and time of enlistment have been kept private. There won't be any events surrounding his enlistment. He is scheduled to be discharged in November 2022.

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Fans react to Taemin’s enlistment

In the early hours of May 31st, fans took to Twitter to bid farewell to the K-pop idol as they trended hashtags '#DearMyTAEMIN' and '#내존재의이유는_오직태민이라서' (The only reason for my existence is Taemin).

Some messages were sincere and contained heartfelt words from SHINee fans, wishing him a healthy return in the future. Other messages tried to cheer up the SHINee fanbase.

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Fans outraged after seeing pictures of Taemin enlisting

Before his enlistment, his agency, SM Entertainment, did not disclose the venue or schedule of his enlistment. They cited Taemin's wish to enlist quietly. However, on the day of his enlistment, pictures of the idol at the military base started floating around on social media.

Korean and international fans expressed their anger at this situation. Many requested the fanbase not to circulate Taemin’s enlistment pictures taken by fan sites and abide by the artist's wishes.

In related news, SHINee members Taemin and Key guest-starred in MBC’s “I Live Alone” on May 28th. The duo enjoyed a meal together while chatting about their debut years in the industry and Taemin's upcoming enlistment.