The four members of K-pop group BIGBANG have now ended their mandatory military service.
Taeyang, whose real name is Dong Young-bae, and Kang Dae-sung, known by his stage name as Daesung, completed their military service on Nov. 10.
The two artists were discharged at the Ground Operations Command in Yongin, Seoul, South Korea, according to Soompi.
“I still can’t believe that I’ve been discharged,” Taeyang, 31, said in front of a large crowd of fans and reporters. “My time [in the military] could be seen as both a short period of time or a long one, depending on how you look at it, but I think it was truly meaningful. I want to thank my fellow soldiers and my superior officers who spent 20 months leading me despite my shortcomings.”
“I also think that I learned a lot of things after entering the military. I felt a lot of emotions that I hadn’t experienced during my everyday life, and I think that I learned a lot about empathizing with other people,” Daesung, 30, said.
“To all of my fellow soldiers and superior officers who, even now, are working hard and toiling away to protect our country—I want to say I love you, and keep up the good work!”
The other two members, T.O.P. and G-Dragon, were previously discharged from their military service in July and October, respectively.
During an Instagram live session, one fan asked if the group will ever become complete with the addition of former member, Seungri, who retired earlier this year after being linked to a prostitution ring scandal.
“I’ll do my best,” Taeyang said, according to Hype. He added that all members of BIGBANG “need more wisdom” before they can make their comeback.
“We’re going to think hard about it and will come to a decision between just ourselves. We want to come back well and show a side of us that we couldn’t while we were in the army,” he said.
Feature Image via bigbang_baby (Left), bigbang_official (Right)
