Seventeen’s Yoon Jeonghan is back in K-pop idol life after a two-year hiatus, but he still speaks fondly of his 9-to-6 job.
Yoon, a vocalist from the 13-member K-pop group, was required to enlist in South Korea’s military in September 2024. After basic training, he had to serve the rest of his two-year mandated service as a public servant.
“Life as a 9-to-6 office worker, I think it really allowed me to live much more healthily, and I liked that a lot,” Yoon said in his first live stream back from hiatus on Thursday evening.
He brought up how his Myers-Briggs Type Indicator personality is ISFJ — which stands for Introverted, Sensing, Feeling, Judging — explaining that made adjusting to office life after a decade of K-pop stardom easy.
“For me, it was just like going to work, coming home, taking care of myself, learning things i need to learn, then going to bed around 11.30 p.m., waking up at 7 a.m., having a routine,” he said.
“While I was living that kind of life, it was so good that I thought: ‘Ah, I could really see this as a healthy lifestyle,'” he added.
On Thursday evening’s stream, the singer described having health problems “build up” before going into the military. At one point, he weighed 53 kilograms, or about 116 pounds, he said, but he managed to get healthier, exercise, and get back up to about 63 kilograms.
He’s now readjusting to the rigor of idol life and what comes with being famous: getting recognized and stopped for selfies and autographs.
During the livestream, the singer shared an anecdote about being surprised by a young fan asking for his signature — something that hadn’t happened to him in a while.
“I couldn’t get used to it, because it’s been such a long time,” he said.
The singer is the first member of Seventeen to complete his military service.
Three other members of the group have enlisted, and five others will be required to enlist.
Due to the scheduled service periods, Seventeen does not plan to do group activities until 2028, when the band returns at full strength.
The group hasn’t had an extended break since their 2015 debut. However, the hiatus doesn’t signal the end of the road for the group: They have agreed to sign on for more years together in the K-pop business.
The band’s nine active members wrapped up a series of fan meetings in Tokyo, Osaka, and South Korea on Sunday, where they said “goodbye for now” to their fans.
