Actor Kim Young Dae is now officially serving in the Republic of Korea Army band for the 12th Infantry Division, the same division where NCT main vocal Doyoung is enlisted. Their unexpected military overlap has turned a routine service update into a full crossover moment.
With Kim joining the division’s band and Doyoung already active there as an assistant instructor, fans suddenly have a real-life two-shot that feels straight out of a drama. Clips from a recent patriotic concert showing both in uniform spread quickly, and international fans are asking what this enlistment era means for NCT promotions and Kim’s drama schedule.
Same division, different jobs in the 12th Infantry
Outer Universe confirmed that Kim Young Dae passed the military band selection process in late June and is now part of the 12th Infantry Division’s Army band in Inje, Gangwon Province. Army band spots are chosen through auditions and interviews, with basic physical standards but no requirement to major in an instrument.
That fits Kim’s resume: he has sung OSTs for dramas like Shooting Stars, To The Moon and Perfect Family, and has played piano and guitar at fan meetings. His specific role in the band has not been revealed, but it will involve official ceremonies and concerts for the division.
Doyoung, by contrast, is in the same division as an active-duty assistant instructor at its recruit training center, not in the band. SM Entertainment announced that he enlisted on December 8, 2025, and later reports placed him in the 12th Infantry, where he helps train new soldiers.
For anyone googling “Kim Young Dae NCT Doyoung army band,” the key detail is this: they share a division and sometimes the same events, but they hold very different military jobs.
The viral concert that linked two fandoms
On June 24, 2026, the 12th Infantry Division held a Patriotic Music Concert in Inje to honor fallen service members. Doyoung performed in uniform, and cameras also caught Kim Young Dae in the audience area.
A short clip of the two 1996-liners chatting in their fatigues quickly circulated on Korean and international social media. K-drama fans who knew Kim from The Penthouse: War in Life and Extraordinary You suddenly found themselves sharing timelines with NCTzens who have followed Doyoung since his NCT U and NCT 127 days.
Doyoung has already shown how musical a soldier can be, releasing a self-composed song for West Sea Defense Day during service and sharing it with fans while reflecting on life as soldier Kim Dongyoung. With Kim now in a division band, both stars are channeling their performance skills into military stages rather than K-pop tours or drama sets.
Military timelines: how long fans will wait
For US fans trying to map out the hiatus, the enlistment calendars look like this:
- Doyoung: enlisted December 8, 2025, as an active-duty Army soldier, scheduled to be discharged June 7, 2027.
- Kim Young Dae: enlisted April 20, 2026, passed the band exam in late June, with his agency expecting discharge around October 2027.
This means NCT 127 and NCT DoJaeJung will be without Doyoung for most of 2026 and the first half of 2027, while Kim will likely miss at least one full K-drama casting cycle. Both, however, are in public-facing roles, so official photos, news clips or future military concerts could still offer brief glimpses.
Fans are encouraged to rely on those official channels rather than trying to visit bases, since enlistment sites and training centers are closed to the public. Once June 2027 arrives, Doyoung will be free to rejoin NCT activities, while Kim’s projected October 2027 discharge sets up his return to dramaland shortly after, closing a uniquely shared military chapter for both fandoms.