SEVENTEEN's S.Coups exempted from mandatory military service in S Korea due to injury

K-pop band Seventeen lead, S.Coups has been exempted from South Korea"s mandatory military service due to his knee injury, local media reports stated.

On March 1, S.Coups management agency PLEDIS confirmed the artist's exemption from mandatory military service following his knee surgery last year.

In a statement to the Korean outlet Koreaboo, the agency shared that the South Korean star has been classified as Grade 5.

"S.Coups underwent anterior cruciate ligament reconstruction and anterolateral ligament reconstruction, after he suffered a ligament rupture in his left knee. Since it was a major surgery, he has been receiving rehabilitation treatment for a long period of time since last year. As a result, he was classified as Grade 5," the agency said.

Inthe South Korean military, Grade 5 is given to a person who has certain health conditions. The person under this category is given Wartime Labour as service during the war.

After his knee surgery last year, S.Coups was unable to take part in the activities of the group's11th mini album, “Seventeenth Heaven,” and its tour in Japan.

Soon after the military exemption, fans of the K-pop starexpressed their concerns over his physical health.

''I feel terrible he’s in this position. I also hope he continues to recover well cause that is still a very hard injury to come back from,😥'' a user wrote on X.

''I wish those who say bad things to cheols knew something about acl injury and how it needs time to heal. Some close minded people just say things without knowing about it. They just say their pointless opinions," wrote a second user.

S.Coups' fellow band member Jeonghan also suffered a left ankle injury last year, leading to surgery.

Both S.Coups and Jeonghan will resume their work in March. Giving the update, the agency said in a statement, "We would like to provide an update on SEVENTEEN members S.COUPS and JEONGHAN and their resumption of activities. S.COUPS and JEONGHAN have been receiving post-surgery care since their surgeries for knee and ankle injuries in August and December of last year, respectively. As a result of receiving constant care and taking sufficient rest, both artists have made a noticeable recovery. They have been cleared by medical professionals to resume their scheduled activities as long as they avoid straining their bodies."