Singer Kang Daniel, who enlisted in the army for his mandatory military service in February, made a surprise appearance in a promotional video as a squad leader at the Korea Army Training Center.

A roughly three-minute video with a title that translates roughly to “Recruitment Video for Squad Leaders at the Korea Army Training Center” was uploaded to the center's official YouTube channel on Monday.


Kang appeared in the video wearing his fatigues. He saluted and said, “Loyalty,” the standard verbal salute used in the Korean military. He then introduced himself as “squad leader Kang Daniel of the 11th Company, Third Training Battalion, 25th Regiment.”

“Even if you fall short of the qualification criteria, you can still apply as long as you have the will and potential," Kang said.

“You can develop leadership skills by leading many people during military service, and I think the greatest reward is the pride you get from guiding trainees to become elite soldiers of the Army,” explained Kang. “I will also do my best as a squad leader at the Korea Army Training Center to train recruits into elite soldiers."

Kang entered the training center on Feb. 9 and completed five weeks of basic training on March 24. His discharge date is scheduled for Aug. 8 next year.

Kang debuted in 2017 as a member of the 11-member project group Wanna One, formed through Mnet’s audition program “Produce 101 Season 2,” which aired the same year.

The group is known for songs such as “Energetic” (2017), “Wanna Be” (2017) and “Boomerang” (2018).

Kang made his solo debut in 2019 with the EP "Color on Me."


This article was originally written in Korean and translated by a bilingual reporter with the help of generative AI tools. It was then edited by a native English-speaking editor. All AI-assisted translations are reviewed and refined by our newsroom.
BY HYEON YE-SEUL [lee.jiwon10@joongang.co.kr]