Super Junior’s Kim Heechul speaks about the reason why he couldn’t join the military as a full time soldier and instead had to settle for a public service worker position.

Kim Heechul’s last ‘Radio Star’ episode before enlisting in the military was aired on the 14th where he spoke about the criticism he had been receiving about him not joining the military as a full time soldier. He stated, “As a member of Super Junior, I used to get lots of criticism for being a poor dancer. However, after it was ruled that I wasn’t qualified to join the military as a full time solider, the same people have been on my case for being too good of a dancer”.

Kim Heechul then explained, “I was involved in a huge car accident 4 years back. My left leg was shattered due to the accident and I had many steel rods inserted in my leg” He continued to explain on why he wasn’t medically fit to serve as a full time soldier.

To help fans and netizens understand this further, all healthy and able Korean males are bound under constitutional duties to serve in the military for up to 25 months depending on the branch of the military. People with medical issues are either exempt completely or they are instead ordered to serve their military terms as a public service worker (Civil service).

This in fact, was not Kim Heechul’s “advantage of an idol” as some netizen’s have been phrasing it as, but the rule of the Korean military.