K-pop group Monsta X's Joohoney confirms military enlistment in late July

In a handwritten letter to fans, Monsta X rapper Joohoney recently announced the date of his military enlistment on the band's official fan cafe website, confirming that he will begin service on Jul 24.

Explaining his decision to share the news so close to that date, he wrote: "Because the time I spend together with Monbebes (Monsta X’s fandom) and the Monsta X members is so precious and happy for me, I wanted to spend this time more fully with all of you."

The 28-year-old idol added: "I’m not leaving forever, so please don’t worry about me. Please promise to look at the sky every day and recall the things I said and think about Joohoney at least once a day."

Under South Korean law, all able-bodied men have to serve a military term of between 18 and 21 months.

Joohoney described the situation as a "temporary comma" and vowed to be back with "more good things" for his fans.

"After I come back, I’ll show you more good things. Like I said, I think of this time as a comma for us. It’s not a period but just a temporary comma that is leading to what lies next.“

The rapper will become the third member of Monsta X to enlist, following Shownu and Minhyuk.

The announcement of his upcoming service comes after Joohoney's solo debut with the mini album Lights in May.

Speaking about his song Freedom, Joohoney previously told Billboard: "I want other idols to be comfortable with sharing about their hard times and expressing themselves confidently through their music in the future."

"I think that Korean artists and trainees can sometimes feel a bit restricted due to their companies and the different rules they might have to follow. Now that I’ve grown and matured, I’ve been able to find myself and can express myself more freely now.”