On 15 April 2024, Lee Taeyong — leader of NCT 127, solo artist, TyongF icon — walked into a South Korean Navy base and began 20 months of mandatory military service. He came out the other side as the first NCT member to complete his service, and returned to a stage, a camera, and a fanbase that had been counting the days.
This page covers his full military chapter: how he enlisted, where he served, what he did in uniform, and how he came back.
Enlistment
South Korea requires all able-bodied male citizens to complete military service, typically between 18 and 28 months depending on the branch. For K-pop artists, the timing is everything — careers pause, groups reshuffle, and fans wait.
SM Entertainment officially announced Taeyong’s enlistment on 18 March 2024. He enlisted on 15 April 2024 — the first member of NCT to do so — into the Republic of Korea Navy. His enlistment had been the subject of considerable fan discussion given a history of back injuries, which had previously required treatment and time off from NCT 127 activities.
Despite those concerns, Taeyong successfully applied for and was accepted into the Navy Band and Honor Guard as a cultural promotion soldier — a role within the military that allows artists and performers to serve through their craft rather than in a frontline capacity. It’s a competitive designation, and being accepted, back injury history and all, said something about both his determination and his standing.
His Unit: The Gugak Honor Guard Battalion
Taeyong served in the publicity unit of the Gugak Honor Guard Battalion (군악의장대), a specialist military unit that handles musical performances, ceremonial duties, and public relations events on behalf of the South Korean Navy.
Cultural promotion soldiers in this unit perform at official Navy events, national ceremonies, and public-facing engagements designed to represent the military positively. It’s not a desk job. Performers are expected to train, rehearse, and appear publicly in uniform as representatives of the Navy — a significant responsibility, and one Taeyong took seriously throughout his service.
Unlike some other idols who serve in social service roles or administrative positions, Taeyong’s assignment kept him on stage — just not the kind of stage TyongF was used to seeing him on.
Service Highlights
Specific details about individual performances during his service weren’t widely publicised — the military keeps a degree of control over what coverage emerges — but several moments reached fans during his 20 months:
Discharge
Taeyong was officially discharged on 14 December 2025, completing approximately 20 months of service. He became the first NCT member to fulfil South Korea’s mandatory military requirement.
His discharge drew immediate media coverage. Fans gathered, the footage spread, and SM Entertainment moved quickly — within days, his return to public life had begun in earnest.
First Stage Back
Taeyong made his first post-discharge performance appearance on 25 December 2025 at the 2025 SBS Gayo Daejeon, one of South Korea’s biggest year-end music festivals. Ten days out of the Navy, back in front of a broadcast audience. The performance was widely watched and marked by fans as the moment the comeback officially began.
Return to Music: TY TRACK – REMASTERED
January and February 2026 confirmed what TyongF already knew was coming. Taeyong announced a solo concert series titled TY TRACK – REMASTERED, opening at the Ticketlink Live Arena in Olympic Park, Seoul on 24–25 January 2026.
From there, the tour moved across Asia — a 10-show run across 6 cities:
The scale of that run — 10 shows across 6 countries, launched within weeks of discharge — made clear that neither Taeyong nor SM Entertainment planned a slow return. His first full-length solo album followed, announced for May 2026.
What Comes Next
The military chapter is closed. The album is coming. TyongF spent 20 months waiting, and 2026 is their answer. For everything that’s happened since his discharge — the music, the shows, the new releases — head to the News and Solo Discography pages.
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