Where Is He Now? The “Face Genius” Actor Who Disappeared In The Middle of His Career Development

Fans are thrilled about the update!

Alongside ASTRO‘s Cha Eunwoo and BLACKPINK‘s Jisoo, actor Seo Kang Joon has been dubbed one of Korea’s “Face Genius” celebrities. And ever since his second lead role in Cheese In The Trap, Seo has remained one of the most promising male talents in the K-Drama and K-Movie scene.

Actor Seo Kang Joon | ELLE Korea

In 2020, he starred in the novel-based When the Weather Is Fine alongside “Romcom Queen” Park Min Young. While the series didn’t reach record-breaking ratings, it did become a remarkable achievement for Seo as the original novel’s fandom praised his interpretation of the character.

“When the Weather Is Fine” Poster | JTBC

In November 2021, though, in the middle of his rise to fame, Seo enlisted to complete his service.

Seo Kang Joon in a live broadcast before his enlistment, featuring his buzz cut.

I’m going to complete the service as all able-bodied Korean men do! I’m kind of nervous and I don’t know what to expect, since I’ve never been to a base before. But at the same time, I’m feeling at ease. I look forward to meeting new people and learning new things. It’s exciting. I’m going to be safe, and I’ll be back in no time!

— Seo Kang Joon

So where is he now?

As a part of the Republic of Korea Army (ROKA), Seo served 18 months…

Enlistment Explained: How Exactly Does South Korea’s Conscription System Work?

…and was discharged on May 22, 2023!

The actor did not offer updates until, on June 3 KST, his management Man of Creation shared a much-needed video of Seo Kang Joon looking better than ever!

In the video, Seo greets the fans and reassures them that he missed them and that he’s working on returning to the screens.

Hello, fans! This is Seo Kang Joon. I’m back from the military! I’ve returned safe and sound, without getting hurt.

To be honest, I wanted to update you as soon as I was released. But I waited because I wanted to look good for the first update. So I hope you can understand that I waited until I had a chance to clean up for a shoot!

Have you missed me? I waited forever for this! I’ve missed you all so much. I’ve missed being in front of the camera, too. I missed being on set, and I missed eating good food. I missed my family and friends…

And now that I’m done with my military duty, I’m going to be doing everything I want to do! And I can’t wait to get back to work and share good stuff with you all. So please wait for me! You have to. Please do! Haha. I promise I’ll be back with something good, so please hang in there.

I’ll see you all soon!

— Seo Kang Joon

Meanwhile, Seo’s personal Instagram account remains paused—with the final post from November 8, before he left for enlistment. Regardless, his fans are celebrating in the comments section, welcoming him back and wishing him well.

Source: Insight