5urprise‘s Kang Tae Oh rose to stardom as Lee Jun Ho in ENA‘s K-Drama Extraordinary Attorney Woo.

Kang Tae Oh in “Extraordinary Attorney Woo.” | ENA

Yet, shortly after, Kang Tae Oh was required to enlist due to age. He enlisted for his mandatory military service on September 20, 2022, much to fans’ disappointment. 

He must enlist to complete his military service sometime this year. The draft notice has not been issued yet, though. Kang Tae Oh has a masculine personality, and he loves to work out. So he wanted to complete his military service as part of the ROKN UDT or the ROK Marines. But it is more likely that he’ll be a part of the ROK Army. He’s planning on enlisting as early as the end of August to mid-September.

— Man of Creation

| @kto940620/Instagram

Kang Tae Oh himself had previously revealed his enlistment date during his TikTok Stage Connect: SweeTaeOh. He expressed gratitude to his fans ahead of enlistment.

The message arrived for me. I was called to fulfill my duty to my country. I will enlist in the military on September 20. For my fans who will wait for me, I will sing Kim Dong Ryul’s song ‘Thank You’ as a token of my appreciation.

Thank you for making such good memories with me. I will return with a healthy mindset.

— Kang Tae Oh

A little over a year later, Kang Tae Oh has finally been discharged!

On March 19, Kang Tae Oh was officially discharged after completing his mandatory military service as an active-duty soldier. He faithfully completed his military service after one year and six months. He was an assistant instructor for the Recruit Training Center and also read the memorandum at last year’s memorial service on Hyeonchungil (Memorial Day in South Korea).

Kang Tae Oh also shared his thoughts following his discharge. He asked for fans to look forward to his upcoming projects.

I enlisted after receiving a lot of love from everyone after acting in ‘Extraordinary Attorney Woo.’ I spent my late twenties and early thirties in the military, and it was a meaningful time for me to correct bad habits, and I’ve learned some great things. I’ll be returning to take on good roles for good shows, and I hope you’ll be looking forward to them. I’d appreciate your love and support, please.

— Kang Tae Oh

While fans anticipate a sequel to Extraordinary Attorney Woo, Kang Tae Oh is reportedly in talks to star as the male lead in the upcoming tvN K-Drama Potato Research Institute (literal title), which will be helmed by Rookie Historian Goo Hae Ryung writer Kim Ho Soo and director Kang Il Soo. His agency, Man Of Creation, confirmed that he is “positively considering” the role.

A romantic comedy set in a potato research center in a mountain valley.

— MyDramaList

In the period he served, Kang Tae Oh impressed netizens with his visuals as he only got more handsome and muscular. Read more below.