SHINee's Onew discharged straight from leave due to military's Covid-19 protocol, fans welcome him home
SHINee’s fans are all set to welcome leader Onew back with open arms after the idol was discharged from the military straight from leave owing to the South Korean military's current Covid-19 protocols.
Onew, whose real name is Lee Jin-ki, enlisted in the military as an active-duty soldier in December 2018. While the enlistment period is generally two years, Onew is returning after his final leave from service owing to the country's Covid-19 protocols which have directed soldiers not to return to their base and to instead be discharged immediately following their final vacations. The move comes as part of South Korea's efforts to curtail the spread of the coronavirus.
On July 8, SHINEE's agency SM Entertainment confirmed the same, stating, "Onew went on his final leave today, and he will be discharged without returning to the military base." While most idols get to participate in events pertaining to their discharge, some like Onew will return without any fanfare. SM explained, "He will be discharged on [July] 20 without returning to the base, and there will be no separate discharge event."
Fellow SHINee members Minho and Key are also currently serving in the military. Onew's discharge makes him the first member of the group to successfully complete his mandatory enlistment. Taemin is currently the only active member of the group, though his scheduled comeback has been pushed back, much to the ire of the group's fandom Shawol.
But as they continue to wait for new SHINee music, fans are rejoicing at the news of getting to see Onew back earlier than planned. Some fans still have no idea how to process the information, stating, "Me not knowing what to do now Jinki is back bc I have been doing the countdown the whole time and it was d-12 this morning," others, taking a cue from the infamous 'SHINee's Back' off the track 'Sherlock' quipped, "WHISPERING 'JINKI'S BACK'."
Many fans also found themselves getting emotional, tweeting, "Listening to voice getting emotional because I missed Jinki every day for two years and now he’s finally coming home," "LEE JINKI I MISSED YOU SO DEARLY," and "I can't stop crying, I'm so happy," while several others celebrated with messages like "Leader Jinki is back!!!" Soon, Jinki was trending everywhere as more Shawols hopped online to welcome him home. "JINKI IS TRENDING WORLDWIDE AND MY DAY IS MADE IM SO HAPPY HES BACK HOME," shared one fan, while another said, "JINKI IS BACK AND I HAVE NOT BEEN THIS HAPPY IN SO LONG MY TEARS CAN STOP ROLLING DOWN. WELCOME BACK LEADER."
After a few hours of tweeting, some Shawols decided to call it a day and return to their previously scheduled activities, stating, "Okay, time to be productive again, I hope Shawols and Jinki have sweet dreams and continue to be happy," but for some, this was easier said than done. One fan shared, "I can't seem to focus on my work bcos anytime, Taem will have an IG live with Jinki..." And other fans began predicting what to expect from the two SHINee members, stating, "TAEMIN CB DELAYED AND NOW LEE JINKI IS HOME WC MEANS TAEMIN X ONEW COLLAB SOON!!!!!!!!!"