EXO’s Baekhyun has been officially discharged from his military service on February 5, 2023, following the end of the one-year and nine-month period in the military. The idol enlisted in the military back on May 6, 2021, becoming the sixth member of the K-pop group EXO to complete his military service.
In South Korea, every eligible and able-bodied man has to serve their country by enlisting in the mandatory military service for at least eighteen months or more, depending on the branch they have been assigned to. However, one can be exempted from serving in the military if they have been suffering from physical and health issues.
With the idol finally being discharged from his mandatory military service, fans could not contain their excitement and took to Twitter to express their happiness. Fans started trending hashtag #BAEKHYUN_is_back on Twitter:
“The END OF AN ERA .......BAEKHYUN_is_back”
Fans celebrate the end of EXO’s Baekhyun's military service
As mentioned earlier, Baekhyun enlisted in the military on May 6, 2021, and joined the military in the public service division instead of active-duty soldiers, as he was diagnosed with hypothroidism. Since the public service division requires an individual to serve for 21 months, the idol spent more time than others who started their military enlistment period around the same time.
Fans are rejoicing at the idol's return, and Baekhyun himself had also previously informed fans that he will soon be back through his Twitter account. The idol also kept his fans updated through EXO's fan club EXO-L, where he shared some of his pictures with the caption:
“eri-deul!! you’ve waited so long, right? I’m here! I’m not going anywhere anymore, do you like it? I like it too!"
Baekhyun’s fans are all excited and ready to meet their favorite idol soon. Echoing similar sentiments, the idol informed fans that he would be greeting them with a special live broadcast through EXO's official YouTube Channel on February 6 at 8 p.m. KST. He further shared his nervousness about meeting his fans tomorrow, adding that although he usually talks well, he is worried whether he'll be able to talk well this time.
The EXO member further revealed that he is currently doing some aerobic exercises to avoid looking swollen and puffy tomorrow.
After several photos surfaced online, fans are assuming that Sehun, Baekhyun, and Chanyeol welcomed the idol after his discharge. The photos were shared by the idol’s vocal coach, who was ecstatic to welcome him back.
The idol is now the sixth member to complete his mandatory military service. Kai and Sehun are the only members left who have yet to begin their military service, while Lay doesn’t need to enlist in the military as his nationality is Chinese. Even NCT’s Jisung is ecstatic that the idol is finally back. He mentioned in his IG live about hearing of Baekhyun's discharge from the military service, commenting that the time really went by faster.
Since the idol has finally returned home, fans are undoubtedly ecstatic.
More about the EXO member
Baekhyun is not just a member of the K-pop group EXO but also a songwriter, singer, model, actor, and a creative director. The multi-talented idol was one of the last members to join the group, after being spotted on the streets by SM Entertainment. Since 2016, the idol has been in the sub-unit EXO-CBX along with Chen and Xiumin.
The idol debuted as a soloist for the first time in 2019, with the release of his extended play City Lights and single UN Village. He was named the third EXO member to debut as a solo singer as well as a member of SuperM, soon becoming the leader of the group. The group debuted in 2019 with their debut album Super One.
Now that the idol is back, fans are speculating that EXO members will take part in the group’s speculated comeback in the first half of 2023.