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Monsta X’s Joohoney Announces That He Will be Enlisting in the Military

South Korean rapper Joohoney, who is part of the boy group Monsta X, has revealed that he will be enlisting in the military. Joohoney’s announcement comes fresh off the May 22 release of his first solo EP, Lights.

In an official statement shared with Billboard, Joohoney wrote, โ€œI thought a lot about when would be a good time to share thisย newsย with you. Even as Iโ€™m writing this letter, Iโ€™m worried about how MONBEBE will feel because thereโ€™s less time left than you may have thought.

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โ€œI will complete my service well and return! Iโ€™m not going away forever so donโ€™t worry,” the rapper continued. “Remember to look up at the sky, think about the words I said to you and promise to think about JOOHONEY once every day!!โ€

Throughout his lengthy statement, Joohoney made references to several songs from Lights. The statement continues, โ€œThanks to MONBEBE, Iโ€™m overflowing with energy and felt free while hearing your voices. While watching myself evolve, the monologues I said alone are now filled with donโ€™t worry, be happy.โ€

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Joohoney ended his heartfelt message with  โ€œIโ€™ll come back to show you a better version of me when I return. Like I said before, I think this time is just a comma for us. Itโ€™s not a period, but a comma that holds a continual promise for the future.

“I love you all day, I love you always, so in love with yourself,” Joohoney added. “I truly thank you for showing me what love is.โ€

Earlier this year, Joohoney discussed Lights and the intentions in his songwriting with NME, telling the outlet, โ€œEveryone has a dark side. We [need to] always shine lights on ourselves, to always think and see positivity. Then [can we become] lights to the world. Iโ€™m always thinking about how to spread positive energy, positive messages and positive songs, so thatโ€™s the reason behind this album.โ€

In the same interview, Joohoney added, โ€œJust like the meaning of the word itself, I wanted to be free with all the things I wanted to do for my music. Everything is free [for me]. I just want to [defy] these boundaries in my music.โ€

(Photo Credit: Han Myung-Gu/WireImage)