2PM's Wooyoung has been discharged from the military a few days ahead of schedule due to new protocols implemented by the military in the wake of rampantly growing cases of Coronavirus (COVID-19) in some parts of South Korea.
According to a report by Soompi, among the measures implemented by the Ministry of National Defense has been restricting leaves and visits for military personnel. This means that soldiers who are on ETS leave have been discharged ahead of schedule instead of being required to return to their bases.
2PM's Wooyoung was initially scheduled for discharge on February 28 but was discharged three days early as a result. Wooyoung enlisted as an active duty soldier in September of 2018 and was deployed at the 21st division of the military in Yanggu, Gangwon province during his 21-month mandatory service.
In a statement by JYP Entertainment, they confirmed that Wooyoung has already been discharged from service. However, the scheduled welcome from fans has been canceled as part of the precautions against COVID-19.
"Due to recent Coronavirus spreading throughout the country, we decided to postpone the event due to high alerts and safety concerns for our fans and artist. We hope that HOTTEST who have been waiting for Wooyoung to understand and consider the situation and concerns," JYP announced in its message.
In place of a fan event, Wooyoung will communicate with his fans through a VLive broadcast after his military discharge. According to JYP, this will allow the 2PM member to greet his fans and update them about his plans after his deployment. JYP Entertainment also asked the fans to stay updated about the exciting things that Wooyoung will be engaged in upon his return.
It can be recalled that South Korea recently experienced a surge in Coronavirus (COVID-19) cases with numbers now reaching 1,261 with 10 deaths reported. 90 percent of the cases are concentrated on Daegu City, which is now classified as a "special care zone" along with Cheongdo. The spike in the number of COVID-19 patients in South Korea was traced to a church service in Daegu which was attended by a 61-year-old woman who tested positive of the virus. Some 1,000 worshippers were reported to have attended the service with the woman while 400 immediately showed symptoms of the virus after the service.
Celebrities have already started to pitch in with monetary donations to the Community Chest of Daegu after learning that the city was lacking in medical supplies to combat the virus. Among the early donors were Park Seo Joon, Lee Young Ae, Kim Woo Bin, Shin Min Ah and Jang Sung Kyu.
