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On Friday, October 20, MONSTA X's Hyungwon released a handwritten letter to fans through the group's official fan cafe, announcing his upcoming military enlistment. Given that the idol is the second youngest in the group, he naturally stands next in line after all his elder members of the group have departed for their mandatory military service.
The idol revealed that he'll be enlisting on November 14 and will be returning to his schedules on May 13, 2025, right before the ten-year anniversary of MONSTA X.
"Let's greet one another with a smile on that day!"
Hyungwon also talked about how he's gained energy and support from his fans which gives him the strength to endure his period in the military service.
Fans sob at the heartfelt handwritten letter by MONSTA X's Hyungwon announcing his upcoming military enlistment
Following the enlistment of the MONSTA X members Shownu, Joohoney, Minhyuk, and Kihyun, Hyungwon is next in line to enter his mandatory military period on November 14, 2023. While many details of his enlistment haven't been revealed to the masses as of yet, the idol personally made the initial announcement about his enlistment to his fans through a handwritten letter.
The letter, which was posted through MONSTA X's official fan cafe, had the idol expressing his love for his fans and how he's already excited about the day he'll get to meet his fans again. His letter reads as follows,
"Hello, Monbebe! This feels like the strangest letter I have ever written. I will enlist for my mandatory military service on November 14. Because I have been preparing myself while watching the other members enlist one by one, I feel more relief than disappointment. I'm not worried about me, but about Monbebe.
Hyungwon continued,
I mean, I worry about Monbebe whenever there's a cold wind, so it's not too out of the ordinary but I guess I could say that my goal is to come back as a strong and reliable person who, by then, can block any wind that tries to blow toward Monbebe. It was all because Monbebe helped me grow into the person I am today that I feel I can endure this short time apart without concern, and so I want to make sure to say thank you for that.'
Hyungwon concluded the letter with the following,
Thank you so much, and I love you so much. I'm going to try my best to become someone who can repay you much more for your love. For that, though, I need Monbebe to be healthy and well while I'm gone, okay? It would make me happy if you could. Oh, it turns out, my returning date is May 13. Just thinking about meeting Monbebe the day after makes me giddy. Let's greet one another with a smile on that day! Love you, Monbebe! " (Translation via allkpop)
Reading the letter naturally had several fans teary-eyed and emotional. Especially given that the idol has calculatingly constructed his military enlistment in order to be back before MONSTA X's tenth debut anniversary so that all the members can celebrate it together.
Regardless of the sadness the letter and its content has brought to fans, they've been optimistic about the situation. They wished Hyungwon a safe return and promised that they'd wait patiently till the end of his enlistment.
