Park Jin-young of group GOT7 was discharged from the army on the 7th.

Park Jin-young began his military service on May 8th of last year by entering the basic training camp. He served in the 11th Army Division during that time.

Park Jin-young said in front of reporters and fans on the 7th, “I‘ve had a lot of fun with good friends for a year and a half. I think I’ve become a lot stronger compared to before I enlisted. I promised my fans, ‘I’ll come back cool,‘ but I’m not sure about that. I‘m grateful to my fans and fellow soldiers who waited for me, and I love you.”

He continued, “I’ll be filming the drama ‘Unknown Seoul’ in a week or two after I‘m discharged. I’m also planning to release a GOT7 album. I started preparing the album during my last vacation,” hinting at his plans for this year.

He also said, “I wasn‘t able to use SNS often during my military service. He said, “I hid a lot on purpose to show a different side of me,” and added, “I’m finally discharged. I feel relieved to have finished what I had to do as a Korean man,” making everyone laugh with another roar of emotion.

GOT7 members Yugyeom and BamBam came out to see them off, and Park Jin-young said, “Yugyeom and Youngjae will be enlisting in the military soon. I think we’re in big trouble,” and showed off his senior in the military by saying, “With these guys’ personalities, you don’t have to worry too much. Just stay healthy. My older brother has been through it all.”

Today (the 7th), the day of his discharge, at 7 PM, he will hold a live broadcast through his agency BH Entertainment’s official YouTube channel.

Park Jin-young’s comeback drama, “The Witch,” which he finished filming before his enlistment, is scheduled to air early next year on Channel A. He will also be working with actress Park Bo-young in the drama ‘Unknown Seoul’, which will air next year.

Jeon Hyo-jin, Donga.com reporter jhj@donga.com