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On May 22, actor Yoo Ah In underwent his fifth medical examination for his mandatory military service. The final verdict regarding the actor’s military service has been delayed a number of times due to various past injuries as well as a bone tumor.

The actor underwent his first medical evaluation back in December of 2015 and received a final verdict today on June 27. The actor was deemed unfit for service as an active duty soldier primarily because of his bone tumor, despite the fact that the actor has frequently expressed his desire to serve as an active duty soldier. While the actor had been receiving treatment in order to maintain a tolerable amount of pain in his daily life, results from his re-examination deemed him unsuitable for life as an active duty soldier.

Furthermore, Yoo Ah In first injured his right shoulder muscle while filming the 2013 movie “Tough as Iron” and his condition worsened while filming the 2014 movie “Veteran.”

The director of “Veteran” said, “The final scene was one in which Yoo Ah In had to engage in hand-to-hand combat with Hwang Jung Min. I was very grateful to Yoo Ah In because, although his hands were shaking the whole time [because of his shoulder injury], he showed fighting spirit until the very end and finished filming without a stand-in.”

He continued, “Even if others say disrespectful and rude things about [Yoo Ah In’s] shoulder injury, I, for one, could never do that.”

In addition to his shoulder injury and bone tumor, it was reported that Yoo Ah In also severely fractured his left collarbone last year. His collarbone injury did not come to light until recently because Yoo Ah In received painkilling medication and participated in a hand-printing event at a film festival the day after the accident that caused the injury.

His agency, United Artist Agency (UAA), released an official statement on June 27 and said, “Due to pre-existing medical conditions, actor Yoo Ah In has been deemed unfit for military service by the Military Manpower Administration and received a final verdict that exempts him from mandatory military service.”

The statement continued, “As an agency, we will actively do our best to help our actor receive medical treatment and carefully monitor and maintain his health.”

Actor Yoo Ah In will be undergoing his 4th health re-examination to determine whether or not he meets the requirements necessary to serve in the military for his mandatory service.

His label confirmed, "He'll be undergoing re-examination this March 15."

It was recently revealed that Yoo Ah In was suffering from a benign bone tumor, which does not affect his daily life, but which led to the military classifying his case as a 're-examination' case on the eligibility to serve. Many bombarded him with accusations that he was using his condition to be exempt from his mandatory military service, and the actor had as a result expressed his wishes to "serve the duties of a civilian" through an official statement.

Yoo Ah In recently released an official statement through his company, in response to speculations that he is deliberately evading military enlistment.

The actor’s military enlistment has been postponed three times since December 2015, as a past shoulder injury had led to a “military service classification postponement” result after each physical evaluation at the Military Manpower Administration (MMA). Recent news about his bone tumor have also exacerbated suspicions of enlistment evasion.

In the statement, Yoo Ah In said that he suffered a shoulder injury while filming action scenes for “Tough as Iron” in 2013, and that the injury was worsened when he was again filming action scenes for “Veteran” in 2014.

“As the date for my military enlistment approached, I underwent a variety of treatments while continuing my activities. But as pain in the injured area and discomfort during excessive physical exertion persisted, I went for an MRI test in 2015, and was diagnosed with a muscle rupture (SLAP tear) in my right shoulder,” he said. A SLAP tear means a superior labral tear from anterior to posterior.

He continued, “That my injury and health problems have caused the current controversy is my misfortune, but they are never a means for evading military enlistment. It is personally very difficult that I must seek forgiveness from others for my misfortune, but I hope to take responsibility as an actor who has matured and become accomplished through the love and concern of the public.”

Yoo Ah In also mentioned that “if the bone tumor has no further abnormal development, military enlistment is fully possible,” and that he has “a resolute commitment to this.” The actor also said, “I will work hard to exist as a healthy member of society.”

On February 15, a news outlet released an exclusive report stating that actor Yoo Ah In has a bone tumor.

Later on, a source from Yoo Ah In’s agency stated, “It is true that he has a bone tumor. We can’t say if it’s serious or not. It’s a sensitive matter regarding his personal information so we cannot say much about the level of seriousness.”

The agency has clarified with another news outlet that the tumor is benign, and has also said that he is waiting for his next examination. They have promised to release an official statement when it is ready.

Meanwhile, Yoo Ah In reportedly underwent a physical exam for the third time last December, but his military enlistment was postponed once again. The actor had received a shoulder injury while filming the movie “Tough As Iron,” and the injury worsened after filming “Veteran.”

About this issue, the Military Manpower Administration stated, “We need to monitor his condition,” and postponed his enlistment decision. Some people had speculated that the actor was purposefully trying to evade his military enlistment. In response to this, his agency has said that he is not trying to avoid his mandatory military service. “He also wants to enlist in full health,” they stated.

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