Jung Yong-hwa (FNC Entertainment)

Jung Yong-hwa of CNBLUE will begin his compulsory military service on March 5, his agency FNC Entertainment said Friday.

The agency announced in an official statement that Jung had received his enlistment notice and canceled all overseas tours scheduled after his upcoming Hong Kong concert slated for Saturday.

Asking fans for understanding, the agency also said, “We will do our best to make sure our action doesn’t have a negative effect on fans by taking adequate measures as well. Please send your support for Jung so he could return in a healthy and mature state of mind after completing his military service at the country’s call.”

It added that it would issue a separate announcement on how the singer won’t be able to participate in CNBLUE’s already announced upcoming tours.

The CNBLUE frontman has recently been accused of receiving preferential treatment in his admission to a doctorate course at a graduate school at Seoul’s Kyung Hee University in 2016, without submitting to an interview. Following the ensuing controversy, Jung recently withdrew from a TV show and made a public apology.

(lotus@heraldcorp.com)