Kang Daniel Shows Off Bulked-Up Shoulders in Rare Military Leave Update

Kang Daniel, the former member of the project group Wanna One, gave fans a rare look at his life during military service. The singer posted a series of photos to his Instagram on July 29, adding no caption beyond a single sneaker emoji.

The images appear to have been taken while Kang Daniel was on leave. In one shot, he snaps a mirror selfie in what looks like a dance practice room. The photos quickly drew attention for one reason above all: his shoulders, now visibly broader and packed with muscle.

Fans flooded the comments with reactions. "Whoa, look at those shoulders," one user wrote. Others posted lines like "Guess he's been hitting the gym hard in the army" and "That T-shirt is about to burst."

Kang Daniel enlisted in the South Korean army as an active-duty soldier in February. After finishing basic training, he stayed on at the training center, where he is now serving as a drill instructor. He is scheduled to be discharged on August 8, 2027.

His update lands as one of the quieter but most anticipated returns on the K-pop calendar. Kang Daniel rose to fame in 2017 as the center of Wanna One, the survival-show group that became one of the defining acts of that era, and he has kept a strong solo fanbase ever since. Even a single Instagram post, with nothing but a sneaker emoji, is enough to remind fans he is still very much on their radar.