On March 24th, former SM Entertainment old school group Shinhwa celebrated their 12th anniversary. But of course, none of them were actually around one another to physically celebrate it. However, fans expressed their love and loyalty as they voiced their support on the net. Exactly 12 years ago on March 24th, 1998 Shinhwa released their first album and has never looked back. Since their debut they've been one of the top boy bands in Korea as they garnered national fame and success. They left SM Entertainment in 2002 as their contract expired and signed on with Good Entertainment. Unlike other boy bands, Shinhwa had the vocal strength of ballad singers but also dancing skills that could make a woman swoon. At their peak their fame matched that of male group TVXQ / DBSK / Tohoshinki, but we've rarely seen them on the k-pop scene or news, so where are they now? Since 2008, the group has been on a hiatus due to most of the members being forced to undergo conscription / mandatory military service. The latest and final member to enter was Lee Minwoo as he entered basic training on March 22nd. He was scheduled to enter at an earlier date but due to a severe injury from a car crash in December 2009, his military service was postponed until now. Before Minwoo, Shinhwa's Andy enlisted in the military service at the beginning of this year. He started his own label in 2007 called ND Entertainment, he also gave up his American citizenship in 2001, causing him to put all activities on hold to fulfill his mandatory military service. Another Shinhwa to enter the army was the sexy Junjin. He had been spending most of his time on his solo career and participating on MBC's Infinity Challenge until he suddenly announced that his time was up, and that he too had to enter the military. He enlisted in October of 2009. Lead rapper Eric Mun was the first member of Shinhwa to enlist in the army back in October of 2008. Fellow member Kim Dong Wan followed suit a month later as he joined in November of 2008. They will both be discharged later this year. The only member of Shinhwa to not enter the military was Shin Hye Sung due to an injury back in 2001. He was granted a medical rejection and luckily for him he didn't have to serve conscription. He has had a fairly successful career as a solo artist. Late last year, he was found guilty for illegal gambling and announced that all of his planned activities would be put on hold. It's now been reported that he's going to try and start promotions in Japan. It's going to be at least another 2-3 long years before we get to see a whole Shinhwa reunion, but will they able to last that long? Let's hope so because they truly were one of Korea's best and brightest. Shinhwa's Brand New from 2004:
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