Actor Lee Jun-young to Enlist July 21 After 'Recruit Kang' Breakout

Actor Lee Jun-young is heading into military service on July 21, closing out a stretch that has reframed him as an actor first. His JTBC drama "Sinip Sawon Kang Hoejang" (literal: "New Employee Chairman Kang") wrapped as a hit, tvN's "Four Hands" is on deck, and he recently said he plans to step away from singing. After more than a decade of nonstop work that began as a teen idol, Lee is entering the military with the clearest actor identity of his career.

Lee carried "Sinip Sawon Kang Hoejang" in the title role. The drama ended on July 5 with a peak rating of 13.6 percent. Reactions to the finale were split, but his steady handling of the show's center drew strong reviews.

On social media, viewers wrote things like, "You forget his main job was singing," and "I stayed locked into 'Kang Hoejang' because of Lee Jun-young." The response reflected years of building a résumé across genres without rushing it.

Born in 1997, Lee entered the industry in 2014 as a new member of the group U-KISS. He was still in high school when he started. In 2017, he won KBS's survival show "The Unit" and went on to activities with the project group formed through the program. As a singer, though, the payoff never quite matched the effort. The project group did not break through, and his later music did not turn into mainstream hits.

His acting track told a different story. He made his acting debut in tvN's "Avengers Social Club" in 2017 and kept working, balancing music and drama sets. He took leads, supporting parts, and cameos, moving between genres and quietly stacking credits.

The turning point came with Netflix's "Mask Girl" in 2023. Even in a brief cameo, he left a mark. He followed it with a tender turn as IU's boyfriend in "When Life Gives You Tangerines," then held a heavy presence in limited screen time on "Weak Hero Class 2."

That momentum carried into "Sinip Sawon Kang Hoejang" this year. Anchoring the drama, he made the case again as a lead. Critics and viewers noted that the "idol turned actor" label no longer felt like the right frame for him.

Even with enlistment days away, his next project is already lined up. Lee will appear in "Four Hands," set to premiere August 29. The tvN drama also marks Song Kang's first work since his own military discharge, adding to the interest around it. For Lee, it is his final shoot before service.

He also recently made clear that he intends to wrap up his music career. In an interview, Lee said, "To people who make singing their profession, I feel like I do music more as an event. I don't think I can do it the way I do acting. That would be rude to them."

The choice stands out in a landscape where idol-turned-actors typically keep both lanes open. Most singer-actors continue releasing music and performing while filming. Lee is signaling a full pivot to acting.

Now 30, Lee spent his teens as an idol and his 20s juggling acting and singing without a real break. After adding a career-defining title with "Sinip Sawon Kang Hoejang," he made his first-ever appearance on tvN's "You Quiz on the Block" in the July 8 broadcast. Setting the singer title down and committing fully to acting, he heads into service with the strongest footing of his career.