{
  "id": 3431298,
  "title": "'Queen of Tears' actor Kwak Dong-yeon enlists in military, reveals blond buzz cut",
  "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/08/26/queen-of-tears-actor-kwak-dong-yeon-enlists-in-military-reveals-blond",
  "topic": "culture",
  "section": "Culture",
  "published": "2026-08-26T05:17:02.000Z",
  "source": {
    "name": "The Korea Times",
    "slug": "the-korea-times",
    "url": "https://www.koreatimes.co.kr/entertainment/20260826/queen-of-tears-actor-kwak-dong-yeon-enlists-in-military-reveals-blond-buzz-cut"
  },
  "original_language": "en",
  "account": "Korean actor Kwak Dong-yeon, 29, unexpectedly enlisted in the military, announcing his decision via a series of photos posted on social media. In the images, Kwak sported a drastically shorter, blond hairstyle, cutting his hair into a near-buzz cut before starting his mandatory military service. The photos were shared on Tuesday, the day Kwak officially enlisted in the Army.\n\nKwak expressed his gratitude to his fans, writing, \"I'll be back. I hope everyone stays healthy and happy.\" Following the post, Lee Jong-won, another actor, responded with a crying emoji.\n\nBorn in 1997, Kwak first entered the acting world in 2012 with the TV series \"My Husband Got a Family.\" Since then, he has appeared in numerous popular Korean dramas, such as \"Love in the Moonlight,\" \"Vincenzo,\" and the internationally acclaimed Netflix hit \"Queen of Tears.\" In the latter, Kwak played the role of Hong Soo-cheol, the younger brother of Hong Hae-in, portrayed by Kim Ji-won. The 2024 romantic drama achieved great success, becoming one of tvN's biggest hits and garnering a large international audience through Netflix.",
  "summary": "Actor Kwak Dong-yeon surprised fans with a dramatically shorter blond hairstyle as he bid farewell before beginning his mandatory military service. Kwak shared photos of his new look on social media Tuesday, the day he enlisted in the Army. \"I'll be back. I hope everyone stays healthy and happy,\" he wrote. In the photos, the actor sports closely cropped blond hair ahead of entering boot camp. One…",
  "key_points": [
    "Actor Kwak Dong-yeon, 29, enlists in Korean military.",
    "Kwak sports blond buzz cut, shares photos on social media.",
    "Actor thanks fans, hopes everyone stays healthy and happy."
  ],
  "editors_take": "Kwak Dong-yeon's sudden military enlistment marks a temporary departure from his acting career, which has gained significant momentum with recent hits like Queen of Tears.",
  "illustration": null,
  "coverage": {
    "outlets": 2,
    "also_reported_by": [
      {
        "outlet": "The Korea Times",
        "title": "'Queen of Tears' actor Kwak Dong-yeon enlists in military, reveals blond buzz cut",
        "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/08/26/queen-of-tears-actor-kwak-dong-yeon-enlists-in-military-reveals-blond-3432713",
        "published": "2026-08-26T05:22:03.000Z"
      }
    ]
  },
  "ai_generated": true,
  "disclaimer": "Summaries, key points and the editor’s take are written by software from other outlets’ reporting and may contain errors — always check the linked original."
}