Thanks a lot sis@Sidy for looking up the references about conscription in SKorea. Really appreciate it.
We can more or less say Taecyeon will be away for 2 years (21 was the shortest to 24 months). And so they get a yr of training first. This info will help us think of our bingu while serving the duty.
I am quite in admiration of this about SKorea. I think all healthy robust male citizens of any country need to get this experience. I once taught and simultaneously served as guidance counselor in a high school for about 10 years where they had cadet training. And I could tell those who were in the cadet and those who weren't. Big difference. Those who were were always well-groomed, punctual, chivalrous or "gentlemanly", energetic, self-confident, resourceful and hard-working. That's why no matter how other faculty thought cadet training was a waste of time and a useless program I always supported it. I haven't seen any other co-curricular program that has duplicated the effects on the young boys. If I see any program that can produce such traits and demeanor in young boys I may reconsider my position. Army training or any similar program as long as carried out in ethical fair and professional way should actually be an advantage to young men.
It'll take a generational study to show the effects on those who have had in comparison with those who have not had such training. I think rather than say it's useless since relatively we are at peace and many countries are at peace with the rest of the world, it's good to at least see and appreciate the many positive effects of such training on the personality of the young men.
Like it or not seems there are universal expectations about how men (and women) ought to act/ behave in life and what they're supposed to be able to do. This is the great experimentation of humankind ha! ha! To what extent we differ and how we may be alike too, us men and women, and how we may complement or "complete" each other and virtually fulfill our function in this world I guess.
This is why i think seeing Taecyeon and PSH interact and explaining the dynamics between them is such an interesting thing sometimes to the point of competing with our work and other duties for our time and attention ha! ha!
Have a good Saturday everyone! Thanks again sis@Sidy for all that info.

Hi sisters and hi sis@journoexpat. Thanks yes conf went well we had more participants than expected. It ends today Sat morning.
Thanks for info about conscription.
You're right, when most everyone is trying to dodge army service Taecyeon is doing the opposite (you kind of wonder he really must be "nuts" he's not called "bingu" for nothing.
If right now even just with his 3MAD work we already admire his hard work how much more when we in 2018 or 2019 (I'll be 60 then) we hear how he spent his army duty. Do they normally talk about it or they're hushed from revealing?
Touch base with you all sisters later today.

Good morning ladies! I hope everyone is having a good start of their weekend, but for me I need to go to work

Sis@fgnuva, good luck on the last day of your conference, in the word commonly being used in the korean dramas: Fighting

I think the reason why some of the actors or idols were unable to say anything much about their tour of duty is because before most of them were assigned in the celebrity soldier unit with the primary task of promoting the military. But since it was dissolved in 2013, no more celebrity soldiers, active duty is now mandatory.

I only read about Won Bin volunteering to serve at the DMZ which is considered as one of the dangerous duties because the unit patrols the border between the two Koreas and soldiers are vulnerable to sniper shots. Hyun Bin, on the other hand, who was in the Marine Corps, I think was assigned in Yeongpyeong, a South Korean island where two soldiers were killed and a dozen wounded when North Korea bombarded it with dozens of artillery shells in 2010. Thus, that island is also very vulnerable to artillery attacks.

I vicariously felt the possibility of a war between the two Koreas because during that 2010 bombing incident, a reporter of mine, together with other Asian reporters, was in Seoul upon the invitation of the South Korean government to promote tourism.

I remember that I was off that day but got a call from the office to meet with the management. In the meeting, I was asked by the CEO, ed-in-chief and HR head if I should ask our reporter to come back because they think it was dangerous to be in SK at that time. I told them, the SK government would know what to do because they invited the journalists thus responsible for their safety and the embassy of my host country ( the country where I am working at) would definitely asked the reporter to go back if there was any danger.

When I talked to the reporter over the phone to ask about his safety, he said they heard the bombing on board a tourist bus, everyone was quiet, especially their Korean driver and interpreter. He said there was an uncertain stillness in the city but no panic. It seemed that the South Koreans were resigned to the fact that unless there would be reunification the attacks and mind war games would continue.

The reasons why going to the military can sometimes be a sad thing is because there are always horrific stories about serving in the military like alleged bullying (especially of celebrities and those who enter the service at a young age) and too harsh training, which can cause a man to break down to be either suicidal or run amuck and of course, the safety of these untrained soldiers during their rigorous boot camp is always a cause for concern.

One of the recent saddest news which hit the South Korean military was in 2014 when a runaway South Korean soldier fatally shot five other soldiers in his post. Just last month, a training officer died and a recruit lost his hand when a grenade he was trying to throw during training exploded before he was able to release it.

In the video when Taec's friend, who already served his mandatory service, was asked for tips on how Taec would be successful in the military, the friend said he heard that Taec would always talk back to JYP, and so his tip for him while in the military was "to keep talking back" I think the friend was trying to take revenge on Taec for being victim of all his pranks because if Taec would talk back, he would definitely be punished by high ranking officers.

BTW, sis@fgnuva and other sisters who are fans of "The Heirs", one of the actors in that drama Choi Jin Hyuk has been discharged from the military, seven months after he enlisted due to severe knee injury he suffered last June during military drills.

Korean netizens have mixed reactions about this actor's early release from service but definitely all eyes will be on him to see if he would immediately go back to acting or would try to go back in shape by undergoing rehab. This is the same thing that happened to Won Bin, sorry for I keep bringing up his case because his military service and discharge was highly talked about during that time and he is one of the most popular actors in S Korea.

When news that Taec passed the exam at Korea University (one of the top three universities in Korea) for his graduate studies, anti-fans insisted that he was attending graduate school to either delay or dodge military service. They even said he had deprived other deserving students to enter KU. But Taec was able to enter KU based on his own merit and it was not his fault that him entering KU was highly publicized and covered by the media. Perhaps it was such a novelty that a "beastly" idol would further his studies, ahh stereotypical reactions

Hi sis@journoexpat. Thanks the final day of conf went well except for some chaos about certificates.
Am happy to return to living my life. Ha! Ha!
Interesting read about the celebs in the army. Don't worry about mentioning names it's all interesting info. Choi Jiwook yes he played the role of Kim Tan's older brother. I like him too.
From your stories it's kind of little wonder why maybe there's a hush about actual or real army experience. It's bit scary... That's probably why people feel sad about the conscription. Interesting.
Oh wow! That was some vicarious experience. I find it amusing these exchange of gunfire. I wonder though would they find common grounds other than cultural roots?


Sisters since it's weekend what are you all doing to fill in the void left by 3MAD and Assembly? Am continuing with Wonderful Days (Ep 40) pls share what you're enjoying?

hello everybody!

@Jun2daKAY: @taeccool Taecyeonie ran away!! Catch him!!

taec yeon ok ‏@taeccool

Sis@jurnoexpat and Sis@fgnuva
If you have finished watching Taec's WD, try to watch 2PM Jun Ho's movie with Kim Woo Bin and Kang Ha Neul. It will help you through your weekend. It is hilarous and my jaw is aching...

avrylle19 wrote:
So Taec went on his own again! And even took the train

Taecyeon's pics in 2pm's house party in Japan






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