It has been a couple of months since Lee Min Ho appeared on TV. His last Korean drama was The Legend of the Blue Sea in SBS. Starring opposite Korean superstar Jun Ji Hyun, Lee broke the charts with the drama’s top ratings, which reached the 20-percent mark on numerous episodes.

Since then, news of the Hallyu star’s military enlistment has been baffling his fans. This is because Lee Min Ho is one of the Korean actors expected to serve their mandatory military service this 2017. Fans have already accepted the fact that The Legend of the Blue Sea was supposed to be Min Ho’s last k-drama before his dreaded two-year absence.

However, Lee’s management label, MYM Entertainment, released a statement to stop rumors from spreading any further. According to a report from Asia Starz, the actor is still waiting to be notified by the Military Manpower Administration (MMA), before he would leave to fulfill his civic duty.

Lee Min Ho would not be carrying out the more strenuous combat position because of his physical injuries from a car accident in 2006, and again while filming City Hunters in 2011. He will instead serve as a public service officer. Be that as it may, Lee still feels apprehensive about leaving his beloved industry for a couple of years.

Lee Min Ho was last seen in "The Legend of the Blue Sea" opposite Jun Ji Hyun. [Image by SBS]

During a press conference for a documentary film entitled “DMZ, The Wild,” the actor voiced out his sentiments about his upcoming service, and his desire to film a last project before his hiatus.

“I feel like I will be separated for a while and I feel sad. As I am waiting for my enlistment date, I do have ambition regarding work and would like to film another project,” Lee Min Ho said. “I think everyone feels the same way before enlisting.”

Meanwhile, the Hallyu actor also shared details about filming MBC’s documentary. His latest project focuses on natural scenery and wildlife on a strip of about 2.5 miles of land, which separates North and South Korea. According to Dramafever, this piece of land has not been open to civilian access for more than half a century.

#dmz_thewild A post shared by L (@actorleeminho) on Mar 31, 2017 at 2:55am PDT

Lee detailed that he had taken on this project because he has always wanted to participate in the making of a documentary. He added that the film aims to raise awareness about the interesting wildlife and ecosystem that exists in the DMZ. He also confessed feeling nervous on his initial arrival at the site. The scheduled filming was a continuous two nights and three days, and DMZ is known to be one of the world’s most dangerous borders—surrounded by literally two opposing military forces.

Lee Min Ho will be fulfilling his civic duties soon. [Image by VCG/Getty Images]

According to Lee Min Ho’s agency, the project ran from October 2015 to March 2017, where the actor found time to meet the production team during his visits to the DMZ. The Hallyu star even camped out in chilly below-20°F weather in order to see otters, yellow snakes, seals and wildcats during his trips to the demilitarized zone. Moreover, Lee shot the documentary pro bono.

However, Lee Min Ho revealed that he felt a little guilty while he filmed in the DMZ. He noticed that all the soldiers stationed were very young. This brought him back to his own impending civic duty where he expressed melancholy.

“Like any other actor leaving for the army, I am sad to be parting with everyone; however, it will only be for a short while. I would like to work on as many projects as I can before entering the military.”

In the mean time, Lee has been keeping himself preoccupied with other activities as well. He has been doing photo shoots for magazines and product endorsements. In addition, he also released a new song titled, “Always.”

The “Heirs” star performed the song during his fan meeting held last March 18 and 19. Dramafever reports that the song expresses the actor’s desire to be with his fans forever. The fan meeting was held to celebrate the actor’s 10th anniversary in the entertainment industry and was dubbed as “The Originality of Lee Min Ho.”

[Featured Image by SBS]