SOUTH KOREA — The Ministry of National Defense clarified in a recent official statement that Korean pop group Big Bang member G-Dragon does not receive any special treatment or has violated military service rules.
According to earlier reports by Korean celebrity news agency Dispatch, G-Dragon allegedly received special treatment by being hospitalized in a VIP hospital room with air-conditioning, a refrigerator and a TV, a room classified as a “colonel hospital room.”
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An enlisted military personnel, G-Dragon was also accused by Dispatch for using 33 leaves out of the supposed 30 leaves.
According to the Ministry of National Defense, the Yangzhou Armed Forces Hospital, where G-Dragon was staying at, does not have a “colonel room.”
The ministry added that the image Dispatch showed of room 311 of ward 301 being a “colonel room” is because the software sources were not edited when the operating system was updated in 2012.
Also, soldiers and executives can all use the room if decided as such by the medical team. Nine soldiers, noncommissioned officers, commissioned officers, etc. have used the room since 2017.
On G-Dragon’s leave, the national defense said that soldiers can go up to 30 days of sick leave in a year, and G-Dragon only spent 26 days so far.
Earlier, G-Dragon’s agency YG Entertainment issued a statement clarifying the issue.
“There was no special treatment, there is no room for colonels at the hospital, and he was hospitalized following the normal procedure,” the agency said.
“Since before his enlistment, G-Dragon expressed pain due to a dislocated shoulder and sprained his ankle constantly during the world tour, and his condition worsened further during military training,” the agency added.
The agency also revealed that G-Dragon’s medical examination results showed that he is suffering from a serious condition as bone fragments were damaging his ligaments and muscles, causing an infection.
“We are aware that he was recommended (to go to) a large university hospital rather than the military hospital and went for a surgery,” the agency said.
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