Actor Na In-woo has opened up about the controversy over his military exemption.

On the afternoon of the 9th, a production conference for MBC‘s new Friday-Saturday drama ‘Motel California’ (hereafter referred to as ‘Motel Cali’) was held at the Golden Mouse Hall on the 1st floor of MBC in Sangam-gu, Mapo-gu, Seoul. Actors Lee Se-young, Na In-woo, Choi Min-soo, Kim Tae-hyung, Choi Hee-jin, and PD Kim Hyung-min attended the conference.

On that day, Na In-woo said, “First of all, I would like to apologize to my colleagues and seniors for speaking here. Here’s what I can say, in fact, the first article came out during filming, and I was the one who had to make a decision late at night after filming ended in a state of confusion and chose to remain silent,” he said.

Na In-woo continued, “Because you like my bright, energetic, and positive image, I tried to be brighter and more appealing, even though I was having a hard time and was sick. So, I tried to be honest about my feelings, hoping that you would see me for who I am, even though it would be difficult to tell you about my personal reasons or my illness.”

Earlier, news broke that Na In-woo, who had been waiting for his call-up as a social service worker, had been exempted from military service. According to reports at the time, Na In-woo had been assigned to a Grade 4 supplementary service position during a physical examination and was waiting for his enlistment, but he had not received a call-up notice from the Military Manpower Administration, and after three years, he became eligible for exemption. According to the Military Service Act, if a person is not called up for 3 years after receiving a Grade 4 supplementary service rating, he is subject to ‘military service exemption’.

In relation to this, Na In-woo‘s agency at the time acknowledged the content of the report, but did not reveal its position on why he received a Grade 4 supplementary service rating.

Meanwhile, ‘Motel California’ is a first love remodeling romance that depicts the twists and turns of a female protagonist who was born and raised in a motel in the countryside and reunites with her first love in her hometown that she ran away from 12 years ago. First broadcast on Friday, January 10th at 9:50 PM.

Reporter Choi Yoon-na, Donga.com yyynnn@donga.com