Balladeer Eru gave up his US citizenship two years ago so he can serve in the Korean military. Many are commending him for his decision but I won’t until actually shaves his head and starts serving in the army. Many celebrities have played this military game as a PR stunt and it looks like Eru is also using the military card to promote his concert in February. If he really cared about Korea, he wouldn’t be selling his so-called “patriotism” to sell his concert tickets.
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yay eru! i didnt know he was an american citizen to begin with though.
i thought it was jang hyuk when i saw the photo
…dumba– some patriot. If he was American he should have stayed that way, that’s where he’s “patrioism” should have been. Good luck son, you just got yourself miltary service. >.<
WTF? He is from America not Korea. What kind of patriot is he? Thats one thing I will like Brian Joo for he knows where he is from and will never forget that.
Screw you, Eru!!!!
That’s a bit odd. Why would anyone give up U.S. citizenship? That’s crazy. I’m not saying it’s the best country in the world or anything but it’s the country with the strongest democracy and the strongest economy in the world. Well, to each his own I guess…
What Eru had US citizenship?…He was a citizen. Damn didn’t know that, but shoot that was dumb. I mean cool he loves his home country Korea so much but that don’t mean you give up your citizenship. Now he got 2 years of serving the military isn’t that fun?..lol
I agree with Raye that’s why I like Brian Joo cause he knows his American .n. you can tell his proud to be an American.
I don’t think it’s fair to assume it was simply a publicity stunt. For better or worse, it was his personal decision which should not be taken lightly when it involved giving up his U.S. citizenship and serving in the Korean military. It just so happens that he is a celebrity, so no matter what he does, the media will report it to make some profits for themselves.
Why are you guys, the editors, so mean-spirited about everything? Post a pic of yourselves so we can evaluate you guys. Lighten up on people over 30 too. I would venture a guess that you guys are fast approaching 30.
Huh!?! That’s a bit much isn’t it? No disrespect to Korean military. But I just cannot fathom why a person would give up their citizenship…to serve in the army. It’s just not usually on someone’s top ten list of things to do. But hey it’s his personal decision so…yeah.
i think it is a great thing to do that for ur country, and not many people really want to be in a army
Having an American Citizenship is better
than having a Korean Citizenship.
However, being Korean is better than being an American!
Eru, you’re already a Korean so there’s no need for a citizenship to prove that you are one!
“Lighten up on people over 30 too. I would venture a guess that you guys are fast approaching 30.”
Hear, hear!
@Teabag
What a narrow-minded thing to say. Neither is “better” than the other is. That is just ignorant.
How is being Korean better than being American? Never mind. Stupid question to an unbelievably stupid comment.
Does America really care if someone gives up their US Citizenship? Its not like giving it up will make him less entitled to everything American anyway so what? It’s a win win situation so I agree with Popseoul. The real question is why was he born in America anyway?
“Having an American Citizenship is better
than having a Korean Citizenship.”
Why? Even when living in Korea?
“However, being Korean is better than being an American!”
Not when you live in America where whites and white privilege still rule!
“Eru, you’re already a Korean so there’s no need for a citizenship to prove that you are one!”
Makes me wonder how Koreans in Korea view or treat gyopos, in general, these days, especially if the latter come back to live in Korea - and I’m not referring to the rich or famous gyopos.
hmmm bad move to me. you never know when that american citizenship will come in handy.
Wah! I didnt know he was us citizen too! but you know we all maker our own decisions.
I’m just kind of tired of people in general. They’ll never be satisfied.
I’m with POPSEOUL! on thinking this is a PR stunt to garner more fans. I mean, gee, I wasn’t aware that the U.S. didn’t have a military. Patriotism? Hahaha…
I agree with Korean Ajusshi
Well isn’t it against the law to have Dual Citizenship in Korea? Hell I didn’t know he was a U.S. Citizen but good luck with that Eru.
Funny how some of these stars don’t mind going(for the fame) but half of the Korea Male population will do anything NOT to go. Korea Pride my @ss.
Bad move. What is the point ? Is serving the military that fun ?
Horrible move for him.
Brian didn’t give his up though. Bad for both of them no more male to male relationship for both for 3 years once its Eru’s time to serve.
I don’t think its anything “foolish” or something, its a personal decision. I mean, I was born in America so I have my citizenship and my dad received his citizenship as well a couple of years ago, but my mom refuses to give up her Korean citizenship for her own reasons, and I respect that. By the way shes been living here for at least 20 years too, and she loves living in America, but she feels obligated to stay a Korean citizen…
…Oh yea the military thing, thats a sensitive issue in Korea, the consequences of not going or trying to avoid it is almost like betraying Korea to the people. I know its alittle werid, because America is so much lighter on the military issue, but Koreans take it really seriously. So to the public going to the military is a really “good” deed that he’s doing.
@ Hello
You dun need to explain every little detail.
You aren’t the only Korean on Popseoul.
i give props to eru for wanting to fulfill this duty in this day and age when it’s not the popular thing to do. in fact, i don’t think anyone should question anyone’s motivation to serve their country, especially not the females who don’t have to do mandatory service and don’t know what it’s like. sure, eru will most likely get a special assignment like all celebrities do, but he gets my man up award for doing what he thinks is right.
Wow I would have never expected him to do that. I didn’t even really know he was a US citizen anyway.
Eh… I dont get it. How is giving up his US citizenship to promote his upcoming concert, when he gave up his US citizenship 2 years ago?
publicity stunt…yeah because he felt the need to do ’something’ so he went back in time to give up his citizenship. amazing how that time travel works.
guess theres nothing else worth reporting. -__-
how the heck did he get US citizenship? Was he born in the US? does he even speak english? Haha all news to me
Korean Ajussi– in Korea old men have all the rule and the society is so dang strict to begin with. Of course you wouldn’t notice cuz you happen to belong to the demographic of power in Korea. In the US you can make something for yourself and we are so ethnically diverse that if you honestly have a problem with the white hierarchy you can mostly avoid it (korean americans seem to be achieving that just fine!!) and still seem to be plenty prosperous- with little knowledge of the de facto language even.
American Citizenship is so hard to come by and so many people would give so much for it (i know of quite a few)! No one would have faulted him for not serving in order to keep his citizenship– He coulda had his cake and eaten it too! Too bad for Eru!
Does one have to be a Korean citizen in order to serve in the
Korean army?
If so, then ok I understand. If not, I think it’s a publicity stunt.
i dont get why korea is so idiotic about the whole drafting thing…and why do people make it such a big deal the only reason why guys dont wanna go… even more now.. cuz there might be a thrid world war… those of you who are women or live in a country that doesnt enforce drafting thank the heavens… if you think about singers and actors are all humans with a job to entertain … but i blame the government in general.. for making us people suffer…damn the government…
plus, it is only human nature… if he kept his citizenship he would have been bad talked for keeping for chickening out.. and as he did.. give it up…people still talk bad… he did it cuz he didnt want to look lik a chicken… who cares if he is or not a chicken… he did wut the korea media made him to do… he was gonna hab to give it up anyways.. and there are so many bad slip up examples before him… and if he had soem back up .. whether he does or not… he said was gonna go… so let us trust the dude.. no star wants to go down wit shame…
It’s very apparent that Brian is very in touch with his American roots, since his family is in the US and all, but Eru is Korean, even if he does have US citizenship. I mean, he lives in Korea, and his family does too. Can you really blame the guy for being more patriotic about the country that he’s familiar with? And to say it’s a publicity stunt is just being really close minded.
how do u give up US citizenship? rip up your green card? fill out a form to give up citizenship? then why did he get it in the first place? i guess he doesn’t want to become the next yoo seung hoon.
a lot of stars have given up their american citizenship.. han ye seul, andy, eric and the list goes on and on..
it actually makes sense to me, because they are living and working in korea now..
that’s why its more practical to be a korean citizen..
but still a lot of korean celebs who are american citizens
its their choice..
and it does make you look better in public.
Who is Brian Joo? Didnt kno Eru has American citizenship tho. Yah what’s with the comment attacking Popseoul?! How many times do we have to remind that this is a blog??? *roll eyes* On the other hand, can someone pls explain what cutie said above “Eh… I dont get it. How is giving up his US citizenship to promote his upcoming concert, when he gave up his US citizenship 2 years ago?” and also kimini comment on the same thing??
so he denounced US citizenship 2 years ago & haven’t served the Korean military yet? he must’ve changed his mind the moment he made that decision hahaha but he can never get his US citizenship back again, sucks for him! not that being a Korean citizen is anything bad, he just can’t say “ooopsies! i change my mind!”
@blinkable: How many times do we have to remind you that everyone is entitled their own opinions?
US citizen? Really??
@blinkable - Brian Joo is 1/2 of R&B duo Fly to the Sky, and also a soloist. He’s one of the only people in the entertainment business who hasn’t given up his American citizenship yet.
-____-
why are celebrities always being accused of trying to “garner more fans” with everything they say and do? yup, it’s definitely a publicity stunt to promote his concert… *rolls eyes*
You’re prohibited from doing things without having a Korean citizenship. Obviously, if you’re working and living in Korea, having a Korean citizenship is far more beneficial than having an American one. It’s stupid to think everything is a publicity stunt. Of course, it’s a possibility, but being such a cynic about the actions of every single celebrity is a shallow thing to do. I respect your First Amendment rights, but I politely disagree with how you respond to their actions.
“i dont get why korea is so idiotic about the whole drafting thing…and why do people make it such a big deal the only reason why guys dont wanna go… even more now.. cuz there might be a thrid world war… those of you who are women or live in a country that doesnt enforce drafting thank the heavens… if you think about singers and actors are all humans with a job to entertain … but i blame the government in general.. for making us people suffer…damn the government…”
Oh, right and having a volunteer system is much better for South Korean society, right? Especially, when we’re next to North Korea, not to mention we’re located in a relatively unstable region.
Let, me see what I said in a previous comment section.
“Voluntary military service in Korea is unrealistic. They won’t meet the requirement manpower for this situation.
If we switched to voluntary military, we will only have 100,000 men in active duty, even less men if we’re talking about the combat service (and not combat service support).
In fact it would be a difficult problem to recruit enough men by 2025 even by the 2-year MANDATORY service. This is due to the fact that is a smaller number of age cohorts (people eligible for military service) by that time.”
I don’t know if this is a PR stunt or not. The Korean military already had enough trouble as it is from the Joseon dynasty (you know the same korean dynasty where a lot of peasents were killed in the Imjin war in the 16th century and was annexed in the 20th century because they didn’t take their military seriously).
But the military needs more people like him to improve their PR.
Secondly to anyone who criticized his decision:
It’s much better for him in his celebrity career in the long-run. Look at what happened to Yoo Seung Jun when he changed his citizenship to American citizenship, and now he’s banned from entering Korea legally.
couldn’t he have gotten dual citizenship?
^no
Korea doesn’t allow dual citizenship. If you receive Korean citizenship, you have about 6 months to drop your foreign citizenship or the Ministry of Justice will drop your Korean one.
I totally agree with soju..
Eru..hwaitting!!
i agree with korean ajjushi…we can’t assume so quickly what his motives are….
unlike brain, eru’s family is in korea, so there might be personal reasons why he’d want korean citizenship…
plus, he could just have obtained the am cit and was born/raised in korea so his national pride would go there..
or he could be using it to promote himself….
moo-lie-yo
1)”Why is Eru an American citizen?” Obviously he acquired one whether he was born there or has stayed in the US long enough - for ur records, Eru was born in New York, so obviously he didnt gain his US citizenship at his own free will.
2)”He dropped his US citizenship 2 years ago and has not served the military, did he change his mind?” one do not need to serve the military (yet) if he’s still a student - many stars do that to extend the age of military serving - and also he can serve the military anytime before he turns 30 (i think) - if ur such a fan of popseoul, there’s a previous article on this
3)If he wanted publicity, I’d think that he’d have announced it to the whole wide world when he dropped his citizenship 2 yrs ago. IMO, Eru is one of the most underrated & under-reported singers in Korea & he deserves more publicity than this and just maybe, not every korean man wants to escape the military!
HAHAHA…what a moron. No offense, but anyone who gives up U.S citizenship has to be a moron. For those who have lost your touch in intuition, South Korea is going to be one of THE MOST unstable countries in the coming years with the on-going drama with N.Korea and with all the corrupt politicians that run their so called democratic “government”. But no, by no means is America perfect, however, the United States has always managed to pull through historical hardships and ground breaking events and it is one of the greatest countries in the world to live in —> proven ofcourse by the fact that we have more and more and MORE Koreans flying into our cities (L.A, N.Y, D.C). Publicity stunt? I cannot say or prove. However, I can say that he made one of the biggest mistakes of his life. *SMH* it’s one thing to be patriotic, and another to be just plain stupid. I applaude Brian from FTTS for maintaining and acknowleding his American roots, you DO NOT and SHOULD NOT have to choose.
“HAHAHA…what a moron. No offense, but anyone who gives up U.S citizenship has to be a moron.”
That’s funny considering pop fanboys/fangirls have to be some of the dumbest or most shallow thinking people in the world.
An ex-ROK Marine and I always talks about the stupidity and vanity of some young people in Korea on military-quotes forum.
“For those who have lost your touch in intuition, South Korea is going to be one of THE MOST unstable countries in the coming years with the on-going drama with N.Korea”
Congratulations you have a more evolved intelligence then most most fanboys/fangirls. You forgot one thing, South Korea is ALREADY IN AN UNSTABLE REGION. At least you recognize that things won’t get better soon.
Secondly, when someone drops their citizenship to join an army, that kind of implies they are already know what they’re getting themselves into.
No offense to anyone and as much as I hate to play off stupid racist post.
Giving up your US citizenship is a big NO-NO!
The US highly disfavors this and the odds of you ever getting it back are non-existent.
Sorry, but like it has been said before, ERU is an idiot for this.
@YManchun
Eru and Yoo Seung Ju are two different situation! You do not hear Eru bad mouthing other gasoo and calling them hypocrites for not serving their country then turn around and get a U.S. citizenship.
In Yoo Seung Ju’s case he promised he would serve in the Korean military, but he broke his promise with the Korean public which is why many people are angry at him.
I don’t recall him badmouthing other people for not serving.
Anyways, there is a lot of bad feelings left over from Yoo Seung’s stunt, in addition to that there was an incident where WAVES of men who dropped their Korean citizenship before some new law was passed regarding people who have dual citizenships.
“I applaude Brian from FTTS for maintaining and acknowleding his American roots”
Are you even aware that South Korea does not allow dual citizenship? If he stood by with his American citizenship, the Korean MOJ would drop his Korean nationality. He didn’t drop his US citizenship out of malice.
He can’t keep both nationalities. He had to choose one or the other.
YManchun: “Look at what happened to Yoo Seung Jun when he changed his citizenship to American citizenship, and now he’s banned from entering Korea legally.”
Can someone be really banned from entering Korea simply for giving up Korean citizenship? Surely there must be another good reason (legal-wise) why his return is legally prohibited by S.K. government?
Jezabel K: “*SMH* it’s one thing to be patriotic, and another to be just plain stupid.”
Being truly patriotic means being stupid enough to risk everything one has, including one’s own life. Think about that. Also, I hope you would never say something like that in public in the U.S., where the freedom of speech that you so love can be practiced only with restrictions or repercussions, in reality, because you may just end up being a social outcast - nevermind all the b.s. about “respecting” others’ opinions.
You can’t have a dual citizenship in South Korea? Then what’s with Tablo and his citizenship in Canada and Korea?
If Eru was born in New York then he automatically becomes a citizen. If he drop his citizenship two years ago how come we just know reading it? Well, lets just wait and see how it goes.
@ shooting star, I just realised who he is afta I posted the thing! Maybe I got confused cause his name lept popping up! Sori I only remember HwanHee I do like FTTS tho >< Whoa so Tablo has dual citizenships??
NEWSFLASH: YOU CANNOT HAVE DUAL CITIZENSHIP IN SOUTH KOREA.
Tablo is either a Canadian citizen on a visa in SK or he’s a South Korean citizen. Same with Brian.
You don’t have to give up your citizenship to make a living in another country. Eru choose to do so because he wanted to.
Its his choice to drop the US citizenship. I personally wouldn’t have done it but thats me.
If he was truly patriotic then why not stay a US citizen, the country that hes from and join one of the US military branches?
“Thats one thing I will like Brian Joo for he knows where he is from and will never forget that.”
It’s called having COMMON SENSE. The US is definitely not perfect but there’s a reason why so many people struggle to have a life here while this guy throws it away…real smart.
Oh Jesus Christ, look we already have our own goddamn problems with military recruitment and PR because the younger Korean generation are either too cowardly, too lazy, too vain/materialistic, or too hedonistic to join the military or even view the military favorably DESPITE the fact we’re NEXT TO NORTH KOREA.
If they’re not of any of the above (lazy, vain, hedonistic) then they’re probably too stupid to realize what would happen to SK if people didn’t put their time into service.
We already have enough problems with the younger generation, that we don’t need other people to contribute to this cycle of hatred against the military by discouraging or criticizing other people who join the ROKA willingly.
Not when you live in America where whites and white privilege still rule
Not when you live in America where whites and white privilege still rule
==============
amen! im an american but dammit i hate how us people of color are treated like 2nd class citizens and whites get away with everything over here, they control the media and the big corporations and govt!
damn blue eye devils!
to Min A: Eru was born in New York, USA. So he didn’t go to get a US citizenship himself, he was born there.
And South Korea doesn’t allow dual nationality, that’s why he had to choose one.
He maybe chose to drop his US citizenship and acquire a korean one because his family is living there and because he has a career there and he probably won’t live in the US again.
And to Pop in Seoul: He is not doing that to promote his concert, is not like he gave it up now, he gave it up 2 years ago. You even wrote that. What a contradiction.
It’s not like this is a new thing, other artists born in the US have done that, some of shinhwa members and other singers did the same.
And to those who compare him with brian who was also born in the US, he’s in a diffrent position, brian’s family lives in the US, while Eru’s family lives in korea. Eru and his father have a career there.
didnt know Eru was an american citizen! one point for him.
I’ve got korean friends here in California. Their parents migrated here so they can give their children freedom and opportunities to be what they dream for themselves. Sure they go back to Korea every year (they make sure of it) because it’s part of them, it’s who they are, if it wasn’t for their ancestors they wouldn’t be here in this world. They show love, respect and patriotism for both country. It’s like their parent to them: Their biological parent: who gave birth to them and their adoptive who: raised them.
WE CAN’T BLAME THESE CELEBRITIES FOR GOING BACK TO KOREA. BUT THEY SHOULD ALSO REMEMBER THAT THEY ARE HALF OF WHO THEY ARE BECAUSE OF THEIR FREEDOM AND OPPORTUNITIES GIVEN BY AMERICA. TURNING THEIR BACK ON A COUNTRY THAT HELP THEM REBUILD HALF OF WHO THEY ARE TODAY IS PLAIN UNPATRIOTISM. IT’S EITHER THEY PATRIOTIC TO THEIR ANCESTRAL COUNTRY OR THEY ARE EVADING TO PAY TAXES TO THE COUNTRY THAT HELPED THEM THEN JUST LEFT IT BEHIND AND ABANDON IT WITHOUT THANKS.
i find it odd how other ppl are criticizing his decision. Its HIS decision, unless you’re going to marry the man, it is no one’s business other than his family & close friends.
Anyway, I personally think its commendable. I highly respect foreign-born asians who return back home & work within the society. He knows what he’s getting into, and he’s lending his support - he’s not forgetting his roots.
The US isn’t the *best* country out there. Personally I’d name other countries, other cities waay before anything in the US. (Portugal, Luxembourg, UAE (dubai), etc….) There are plenty of places that have appeal.
I am a natural born U.S. Citizen, 41 years old, and I would gladly give up my U.S. Citizenship to start over in a different country. In fact, I am seriously considering it, too. My ex-wife used the domestic violence laws as a weapon against me, because she met another man and wanted me to leave. Filing a temporary injunction for protection against domestic violence, even if there is no real abuse, (as a police officer told her) is the only way to force him to leave. I was served with the injunction and told I could not take anything. I waited until everyone left, including my wife, and went back inside the house to pack a suitcase. After that, I was arrested for violation of the injunction, along with other hideous charges that make me look like a raging lunatic. Now, and for the past 13 years, I am stuck with this horrible bad mark on my criminal record for the rest of my life, which prevents me from getting good jobs, owning a firearm, or even renting an apartment in my name. People are scared of me just because of this ridiculous thing that happened to ME, not her, but ME. I never once hit her or physically harmed her in any way. My only mistake was pushing her aside from the doorway that she was blocking so I could calm down on a walk around the neighborhood… I thought I was doing the right thing, but apparently I was just supposed to sit there and let her yell and scream at me and humiliate me instead of walking away like I was taught that a man should do. Of course I do not want to leave the country where I was born to become a citizen of another country, but more and more I am thinking that it is the only way for me to have a normal life without persecution for something so incredibly unfair that it in itself should be illegal. So…… before you say giving up U.S. Citizenship is crazy, you should take into consideration that everyday good people are being forced to live in this country under unfair laws and policies that make their lives almost not worth living at all.