Actor Hyun Bin who is currently serving in the Marine Corps will visit Indonesia for three days this week to promote South Korea’s defense industry, according to the Ministry of National Defense on Monday.

Hyun will visit Indonesia from Oct. 5-7. He will attend the Armed Forces Day ceremony in Indonesia on the first day and visit the local Marine Corps the following day.

The visit was requested by the government of Indonesia where the mega hit Korean TV drama “Secret Garden” starring Hyun is highly popular. 

The Defense Ministry decided to accept the invitation after considerable debate ― Hyun is serving as a combat soldier, and is not part of the PR unit ― seeing it as an opportunity to promote exports by the local defense industry.
“A hallyu star in a uniform can enhance the image of our military,” said an official at the Defense Ministry. A naval officer will accompany Hyun on his visit to Indonesia.

Hyun became a Korean heartthrob after “Secret Garden.” He has been making more public appearances as a marine since last month.

He participated in a military marathon event on Sept. 25 and appeared on stage as a MC for a Marine Corps band concert on Sept. 30. The Marine Corps is also making a book containing photos of Hyun’s days in the army.

By Park Min-young (claire@heraldcorp.com)