
Lee Jae-jin, a former member of the late 1990s idol group, Sechs Kies, has not returned to his unit after a five-day military leave. Currently fulfilling his military duty in an army unit in Gyeonggi Province, Lee has gone AWOL for 12 days as of Wednesday, according to the Ministry of Defense. The last time he made contact with anyone was when he called his unit commander to confirm his return on the morning of his return.
His disappearance has alarmed his friends and family, especially his sister, Lee Eun-joo, a member of singing group Mugadang (Sugar-free). Lee’s parents had both passed away before he joined the military and Eun-joo is his only family. A military source has disclosed that Lee has frequented military hospitals for depression, which may have been caused by the deaths of his parents, involvement in an illegal scheme to dodge military duty, and his stagnant music career.
Lee’s sister and friends are reluctant to speculate any foul play, still thinking that he’s off somewhere alone to think though many of his problems. In the meantime, authorities have not released any details about the investigation.