Was it an abuse of power or a personal favour?
Reports of a military superior requesting Seventeen’s Woozi to find a wedding singer has sparked outrage among netizens for alleged abuse of power.
South Korean media Seoul Shinmun revealed yesterday (Dec 22) that a sergeant nicknamed A at the army training centre had asked Woozi, who had just begun serving in September, to find a singer who could perform at his wedding. Woozi had not known A prior to enlistment.
The 29-year-old idol then contacted a friend and “famous ballad singer”, and the latter reportedly performed for free in October.
In response to reports, a military official from the training centre said there was no coercion: “After reviewing the situation, we found that it was not an improper order, but rather a personal favour on Woozi’s part. There was no violation of the law or regulations.”
However, netizens argued the act was still an abuse of power as it happened in a workplace, and the officer was a superior to Woozi.
“Was that a favour or did you (Woozi) have no choice but to do it because you were afraid your military life would be ruined?” questioned one netizen on Naver.
Another remarked: “Given the nature of the military, which is characterised by a hierarchical organisational culture and obedience to orders, it’s impossible to ignore requests from superiors that aren’t requests. Also, since he’s a famous idol before enlistment, he was in a position where it was difficult to refuse… How is that not a coercive environment, but just a favour?”
Seoul Shinmun reached out to an attorney from the law firm Jonjae, who said: “There are a number of court precedents that have established that it is difficult to refuse a superior’s personal request due to the strict and closed nature of the military organisation.”
Woozi, who enlisted with fellow member Hoshi, is expected to be discharged from the military in March 2027. Members Jeonghan and Wonwoo enlisted earlier in September 2024 and April 2025 respectively.
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