A military training center officer is reported to have asked a famous idol member, who was a trainee, to arrange a singer for his celebratory song, sparking controversy.
On the 23rd, The Seoul Shinmun reported that Officer A of the military training center asked Woozi of SEVENTEEN, who entered as a trainee last September, to introduce a singer to perform the celebratory song at his wedding.
Until enlisting, Woozi did not have a personal acquaintance with Officer A, but at A's request he arranged for a well-known ballad singer B, with whom he had a usual acquaintance. According to reports, B sang the celebratory song at A's wedding in October, and no fee was paid.
It is reported that Woozi is currently serving as a drill instructor and working in the same training unit as Officer A. Critics said it is inappropriate for a training center officer to make personal requests of a trainee. Because of the closed nature of military organizations, it is effectively difficult to refuse a superior's personal request.
However, the military training center said there was no coercive situation at the time and that Woozi responded to A's request as a favor, saying "there was no illegal activity or violation of regulations." The training center said Woozi's duty station had not been decided when A asked him to arrange the celebratory singer, and because the request was made toward the end of training, it was a period in which a personal acquaintance could have formed between the two. The training center also said there are no plans to discipline A or to separate him from Woozi.
Meanwhile, Woozi enlisted as an active-duty soldier in the army on Sept. 15 and is serving as a drill instructor at the army training center. He is scheduled to be discharged on March 14, 2027.<
[Photo] OSEN DB
[OSEN]