[Photo by Yoo Dae-gil = dbeorlf123@ajunews.com]
SEOUL -- Idol band CNBLUE's Jung Yong-hwa will be charged for securing illicit admission into a post-graduate school program in an attempt to put off his mandatory military service, police said Friday.
Jung suspended his post-graduate work and public activities in January following reports that he illegally got admission to the Department of Applied Arts at Kyunghee University's post-graduate school in Seoul in 2016 without taking a proper interview.
FNC Entertainment has denied illegal activity, but police said Jung was given preferential treatment from the school department's dean identified by his surname, Lee, at the request of a senior faculty member.
Jung will be referred to prosecutors for indictment without detention, along with his manager, Lee and the faculty member, police said, adding they have yet to find any evidence related to bribery. Lee was accused of asking other professors to give Jung a high score in screening. The post-graduate school program helped Jung delay enlistment.
Through his Instagram, Jung insisted the school program was not aimed at evading his military service. "It's not absolutely true," he said, adding he had misread of a school application handbook. He also argued that instead of a formal interview, he had held a private session with Lee on his application to learn more about his major as a singer.
The singer said he said he was ready to take responsibility if he violated rules.
FNC Entertainment said earlier that the singer would join a boot camp on March 5. Jung said he was not running away but decided to reflect on himself at the army camp. "An army can never become a shelter to escape. As a Korean citizen, I have always thought that I must faithfully carry out my military duties."
All able-bodied men aged 18-35 are required to serve in the military for about two years. The military relies heavily on a compulsory service system. Exemptions are rare and some celebrities use college enrollment and other means to delay military service.
