Taeyong's enlistment news was a surprise for many. But the announcement sparked a thread online, where S.Coups of SEVENTEEN trended among netizens.

Here's what they're saying.

SEVENTEEN S Coups Gains Attention Amid NCT Taeyong's Enlistment News, CARATs Defend Idol

Earlier on March 18, SM Entertainment released an official statement announcing Taeyong's military enlistment.

The agency shared that Taeyong would be enlisting on April 15, and informed everyone that there would be no official events held for safety measures. "Taeyong would be enlisting as an active-duty soldier in the Navy on April 15," SM shared.

"No official events would be held on the day of his entry at the recruit training center, and we ask for your kind consideration to prevent safety risks or crowding," it continued. "Please send out your love and support until Taeyong completes his duty."

Eventually, conversations regarding Taeyong's enlistment arose in the K-pop community. One of the threads generated specifically dragged SEVENTEEN's leader S.Coups, who had been exempted from military service due to his leg injury.

S.Coups' military duty exemption was announced on March 1, when PLEDIS Entertainment released a statement, declaring that the idol was classified as fifth grade. Individuals in this category are exempted and are required to do labor-related work in the case of wartime.

Following the announcement, S.Coups' exclusion from service quickly ignited a heated debate between critics, who called him out for not enlisting and invalidated the seriousness of his injury, and fans, who defended the idol from the harsh remarks.

Ultimately, the author of a forum uploaded a screenshot from a Korean news outlet. The photo showcased the news headline stating "NCT Taeyong 4/10 Enlistment... Ultimate Acceptance Into the Navy Military Band."

OP captioned, "Even Taeyong is enlisting. But he (S.Coups) is living the sweet life with the exemption. I bet he's embarrassed looking at his hoobae (junior)."

Fans were enraged in the comments, as many of them expressed their dismay over the post. Some even pointed out that the author wasn't even an NCTzen in the first place, and that the outlook of NCT's fandom towards S.Coups' exemption was far from what the OP had laid out.

• "This is not the opinion of NCT's fans."
• "So, S.Coups being exempted is something to be embarrassed of and he benefited from it?"
• "My dad also got exempted because of a ligament tear so should we say that my dad is benefitting and should be embarrassed?"
• "You're not even a fan of NCT but you're just using hate on S.Coups which is just evil."
• "Taeyong is enlisting so why should S.Coups be embarrassed? I feel like the OP who wrote this post is even more embarrassing."
• "Even if someone had torn ligament during their military service, they would have a valid reason for medical discharge, so why bother going to the military in the first place?"

What are your thoughts on this? Let us know in the comments below!

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Written by Riely Miller