K-pop idols take acts into the army

Gyeryong, South Korea

THE audience applauded politely as the honour guard twirled its rifles, and oohed and ahhed at the acrobatic taekwondo demonstration. But the real excitement began when the army band appeared.

The big draw: Jung Yun-ho, a soldier otherwise known as U-Know Yunho, one of South Korea's most famous K-pop stars. He burst onto the stage of a military runway here in the mountains south of Seoul, wearing a black T-shirt emblazoned with "Korea Army" on the back.