A recently released teaser for the upcoming July 11th episode of KBS2’s "Immortal Songs" has successfully captured mαѕѕive attention. This highly anticipated episode features a special dedicated to "Artist Kim Tae-won," celebrating the 40th anniversary of "Boohwal"—a living legend in the кσяєαn rock scene. Adding to the excitement, the show will welcome back singer Kang Seung-yoon, marking his return to the program after nearly three years since his last appearance just prior to his military enlistment.
Kang Seung-yoon jokes, "Before enlisting, I won a ticket to the 'King of Kings' special, but my enlistment notice arrived so quickly that I couldn't attend. Doesn't that mean the ticket is still valid?" Hearing this, Kim Jun-hyun makes everyone laugh by teasing, "Your cheekiness has definitely improved after serving in the military."
Furthermore, Kang Seung-yoon grabbed everyone’s attention by sharing a fascinating anecdote about Jin, whose military service period closely overlapped with his own. Kang Seung-yoon reveals that Jin was serving as an αѕѕistant instructor at the training center where he was scheduled to enter. Even though they didn't know each other personally, Jin reached out to him first after hearing about his enlistment.
Kang Seung-yoon shares, "Jin gave me a sweet proposal, saying, 'Become an αѕѕistant instructor with me. I'll share some great tips on how to get selected.' Full of dreams, I trained incredibly hard, but heaven didn't help me, and I ended up not becoming one," he expresses with regret.
Above all, Kang Seung-yoon warms hearts by sharing a heartwarming story about "Assistant Instructor Jin." Shrugging his shoulders with pride, Kang Seung-yoon says, "I graduated from the training center in first place. Jin pαѕѕed by and handed me a whole box of chocolates, saying, 'Aren't you working too hard? Don't push yourself too much.' Since trainees weren't allowed to use the PX (military commissary) at the time, I instantly became a hero in my barracks." This legendary military flex left everyone on set green with envy!
As previously reported, Jin enlisted on December 13, 2022, while Kang Seung-yoon followed suit on June 20, 2023. At the time, Kang was undergoing basic training as a rookie recruit at the Yeoncheon Recruit Training Center, where Jin happened to be serving as an αѕѕistant instructor. Although they were not αѕѕigned to the exact same unit, Jin still went above and beyond to look after Kang within his capacity.
Jin had previously shared photos of the two together on Weverse, along with a heartwarming message: “Seung Yoon-ssi, congratulations on completion. I had great 6 weeks with you. You did great job as trainee. You will do well your military service in your unit too. I wanted ARMY and INNER CIRCLE to like it".
Meanwhile, this isn't the first time Kang Seung-yoon has gushed about Jin’s kindness in the military. During a past appearance on KBS CoolFM while promoting his solo album Page 2, Seung-yoon recounted their first encounter, stating, “I met him as a drill instructor at the training center I entered… He is such a world star, so even though he already seems huge, within the military organization he looked like a god-like existence. Honestly, we had no personal connection at all, but when he heard the news that I was entering the training center, he contacted me first.”
Seung-yoon also showered praise on Jin’s character during another personal live stream after mentioning how he received the precious Choco Pies from him. That day, the singer told his fans, “As far as I know, he himself is someone who works extremely hard. He’s very fit, super athletic, and his personality is really easygoing, so he handled military life very well. And yet, he told me that I was working very hard and that I should take it easy. If my memory serves me correctly, I think I said to him, ‘How can I do that—just sit back and take it easy—when I even received Choco Pies from Assistant Drill Instructor Kim Seokjin? I’ll keep working hard and doing my best.’”
Both fans and Seung-yoon were deeply moved by the fact that Jin could have easily chosen to do nothing or treat Kang like any other ordinary recruit, given they weren't friends prior to enlistment. But instead of ignoring a fellow industry colleague, Jin took the initiative to show care and support however he could. He understood the unique hardships idols face upon enlisting and knew that even the smallest acts of kindness could bring immense comfort to military life.
Indeed, Jin helped Seung-yoon feel less lonely and anxious in an environment entirely foreign to his former idol life. He even found a renewed sense of motivation to complete his service after witnessing his senior's strong work ethic. At the time, fans completely understood why Seung-yoon described Jin’s presence as “like a god-like existence.”
More importantly, even after both idols completed their military service and were discharged, they have continued to stay in touch and maintain a close friendship. In fact, a non-fan recently posted on a Naver Blog that they spotted the two idols enjoying кσяєαn BBQ together at a restaurant in Seoul this past January. It looks like Jin has successfully added another phone number to his contact list, which famously used to consist of "fewer than ten celebrities"!
