Im Siwan’s agency has clarified reports regarding his military service.

On June 17, one media outlet reported that Im Siwan received more vacation days compared to other soldiers during his military service. According to reports, he received a total of 123 days off including 28 days of annual leave, 18 days of reward leave, 51 days of consolation leave, 14 days of compensation leave, and 12 days of leave for medical treatment, which is 2.08 times more than the average soldier who usually has 59 days of vacation.

Later in the day, his agency released a statement to explain the matter.

Here is the full statement below:

Hello, this is Plum Actors. First of all, thank you for always showing lots of interest in actor Im Siwan. Im Siwan enlisted in the recruit training center at Yangju in Gyeonggi Province on July 11, 2017, and after five weeks of receiving basic training, he was appointed to be an assistant instructor as he received high scores. He faithfully fulfilled his military service to the point that he was selected as a special forces soldier in recognition of his excellent performance in shooting, physical strength, and combat skills within two months of enlisting. In addition, he served an exemplary military life by voluntarily providing military aid to civil authorities such as in nearby elementary schools. He was discharged on March 27, 2019 after completing his military service. Im Siwan received a total of 123 days of vacation in the military for reasons such as regular leaves, special leaves for being called to participate in events for the Pyeongchang Winter Olympics and Armed Forces Day, and reward vacations for special forces and exemplary soldiers. Due to the nature of the assistant instructor position, which requires five weeks of weekend work when recruits enter, an additional 40 days of vacation are given. Including this, it has been confirmed that an exemplary assistant instructor of the 25th Division is usually given about 100 days off. It is true that he received more vacation days than the average soldier, but he has never received any undue favors beyond what the military allowed. We apologize for worrying those who support Im Siwan with affection, and we ask for your understanding. We will give you updates in the future about his productions and acting. Thank you.

Meanwhile, Im Siwan will be starring in OCN’s upcoming drama “Strangers From Hell,” which also stars Kim Ji Eun and Lee Dong Wook.

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