On Korean Memorial Day (June 6), NCT's Taeyong, who was revealed to be the grandson of a Korean war hero, narrated a tribute to his grandfather and other fellow soldiers who sacrificed their lives fighting for the nation. The idol visited the National Cementary as the public relations officer in the Naval Headquarters Military Music Decoration Battalion.
The official YouTube channel of the Republic of Korea Navy posted a video titled "We will never forget, and we will always remember," with the NCT leader as the narrator. In his tribute, he expressed his heartfelt and deep gratitude towards the nation's heroes and said:
"Your sacrifice and dedication have given us a bright tomorrow."
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This news has not only been unexpected for netizens but also heartbreaking.
NCT's Taeyong visited his grandfather's tomb in his navy uniform on Memorial Day
On Thursday, June 6, it was revealed that NCT's Taeyong and a few other soldiers from the Korean Navy visited the National Cemetery on Memorial Day to pay tribute to the heroes who sacrificed their lives for the nation. The NCT leader not only took the lead during the visit but also expressed his gratitude to his grandfather, a Korean War hero.
He visited his grandfather's tomb in his navy uniform and prayed silently in front of it for a few minutes. The tombstone also had the names of Taeyong and his elder sister written on them as a reminder of the family legacy. His grandfather served in the Korean military in 1953 and was awarded the Hwarang Medal in 1954. His tomb is now at the Daejeon National Cemetary.
Taeyong previously mentioned his grandfather in an interview in 2019. The NCT 127 members were interviewed as a collaboration between VLive and the Korean media outlet OSEN. When Taeyong was asked about the person he respects the most, he named his grandfather.
"The person I respect the most is my grandfather. He's a great person and all my family members look up to him," he said.
Taeyong, the NCT leader, was the first member to enlist for his mandatory military service from the K-pop boy group. He entered the Korean Navy on April 15, 2024. On May 17, the idol graduated from the Navy military training. He's currently enrolled as an active-duty soldier in the Navy.
Before his enlistment, the idol released his second mini-album, TAP. While he made his solo debut with his first mini-album, SHALALA, on June 5, 2023, he continued to extend his career as a solo artist before he departed for his mandatory military service. TAP was well-received by netizens, who commended the idol's exploration of musical genres.
He also rolled out a two-day concert in Seoul towards the end of February, performing several of his solo tracks. However, the idol could not join NCT's other touring schedules due to the government rule that restricts people from traveling in the six months before their enlistment.
