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.
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Cheryl is the news editor for Business Insider's Asia bureau in Singapore.Her team covers global news, including retail trends, military tech, and US politics. She frequently speaks on international media about top news stories — please email her for booking.As a reporter, Cheryl specializes in the business of nerdworld, covering crews like Critical Role and Dimension 20, as well as new releases in mobile and video gaming.Cheryl joined Business Insider in 2021. She was previously a journalist at the crime and consumer desks at the Straits Times, Singapore's national paper, and a researcher at the Institute of Southeast Asian Studies in Singapore. She has an MA in Cultural and Creative Industries from King's College London.Selected features:
- The cofounders of nerdworld giant Critical Role are expanding in 5 areas. Here's an inside look at their master plan.
- Dimension 20 just played a sold-out gig at Madison Square Garden. Here's what is next for one of the nerdworld business' biggest names.
- Our quest to make AI love us back is futile — and dangerous
- I watched 60 hours of MyPillow CEO Mike Lindell's 96-hour election-fraud livestream so you don't have to. Here are 5 things you missed.
- Japan is trying to lure people into rural areas by selling $500 homes, but it's not enough to fix the country's 'ghost town' problem
- South Korea's millennials say their lives aren't that different from 'Squid Game' as they face a crisis of mounting debt, unaffordable homes, and dead-end jobs
- More and more Chinese 20-somethings are rejecting the rat race and 'lying flat' after watching their friends work themselves to death
- People are pouring into the streets in China to protest COVID lockdowns. It's a rare moment of mass dissent, and experts say it's a demonstration to Xi — and the world.
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