Today, July 8, SM Entertainment confirms the discharge of SHINee‘s leader, Onew.
“Onew went on his final leave today, and he will be discharged without returning to the military base. He will be discharged on [July] 20 without returning to the base, and there will be no separate discharge event.”
His early discharge is due to the current military’s COVID-19 protocol that all soldiers will not return to their base and be discharged right away after their final vacation.
Onew, or Lee Jinki in real life enlisted as an active duty soldier on December 10, 2018. He was the first SHINee member to enlist, followed by Key and Minho after a few months. The hashtag #JinkiIsHome is trending today to send warm welcome.
Welcome back, Onew