Over the weekend, K-pop icon G-Dragon returned to public life after completing his mandatory service in South Korea’s military.
G-Dragon (Kwon Ji Yong), known both as a solo star and a member of BIGBANG, was discharged on Saturday (Oct. 26) in Yongin, South Korea. He enlisted in February 2018, and served a total of a year and eight months.
Around 3,000 fans waited for G-Dragon at Yongin, and he greeted them with gratitude and assurance that he will return to his career as a musician, according to Reuters. “Thank you for waiting,” he reportedly said. “I will return to my job and faithful to my work.”
It is unknown whether G-Dragon will continue pursuing a solo career or if BIGBANG has plans to release new music. The group’s former member Seungri left the act and the music industry amid a series of criminal and legal investigations earlier this year.
While serving, G-Dragon, who got his start as a child star and has spent his life in the limelight as one of South Korea’s most prominent talents, took a break from public life. The 31-year-old rapper most released his Kwon Ji Yong EP in 2017, which peaked at No. 192 on the Billboard 200 albums chart upon its release.