'Teach You a Lesson' star Kim Mu-yeol's past military service story resurfaces amid global Netflix buzz

As actor Kim Mu-yeol rides a wave of global attention for his lead role in the Netflix original series "Teach You a Lesson," an old story about his military service has resurfaced — one in which he voluntarily enlisted after facing draft-evasion allegations stemming from a hardship exemption he had received years earlier.

In 2010, the Military Manpower Administration granted Kim an exemption from mandatory service on the grounds that he could not support himself financially. The exemption drew scrutiny after a Board of Audit and Inspection probe revealed that he had earned roughly 300 million won (about $197,000) through entertainment work during the same period, fueling draft-evasion allegations.

The controversy grew, and Kim was reclassified into the supplementary service category — a move his agency attributed to an administrative error by the responsible civil servant.

Kim voluntarily enlisted in October 2012, saying he wanted "not to admit to a wrongdoing I never committed, but to be free from a misunderstanding I never deserved." He completed 21 months of service with the 12th Division's Eulji Unit in Inje, Gangwon Province, and was discharged on July 8, 2014.

His agency said at the time that Kim had not sought the exemption to avoid military service, but had genuinely been supporting his family through difficult circumstances.

According to the agency, Kim's father suffered a cerebral hemorrhage in 2002, and his younger brother was serving in the military. As the de facto head of the household, Kim was in no position to enlist before his brother was discharged.

A past segment on SBS's "Late Night TV Entertainment" showed the home where Kim had lived from 2003 to 2009 — a ramshackle dwelling he rented for a 2-million-won ($1,300) deposit and 200,000-won ($130) monthly wolse. Friends reportedly helped him get by, bringing rice and cooking oil.

The agency addressed the draft-evasion allegations directly, saying that while Kim and his mother had earned income intermittently, the money went first toward paying off his father's debts. "Kim and his mother continuously worked part-time jobs and other work to sustain their livelihoods," the agency said.

Meanwhile, according to Netflix, "Teach You a Lesson" — in which Kim plays the lead — recorded 6.4 million views within just three days of its June 5 release, topping the global top 10 non-English TV shows chart.

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https://biz.heraldcorp.com/article/10769127