Chen Bo-lin and Hsiu Chieh-kai among Taiwanese celebs rounded up for allegedly dodging military service
Lim Ruey Yan
The Straits Times
Oct 21, 2025
Taiwanese actors Hsiu Chieh-kai and Chen Bo-lin are among the latest celebrities detained by the Taiwanese authorities for allegedly dodging military service.
Taiwanese singer-actor Chang Shu-wei from Taiwanese boy band Energy and Taiwanese singer Jaydaone of Taiwanese boy band Lollipop were also detained in the latest round-up on Oct 21.
The Taiwanese media said Hsieh Kun-da of Energy is also on the list, but he is away in Canada. The 43-year-old said in a statement later on Oct 21 that he has cancelled his work engagement and will return to Taiwan soon to cooperate with the investigation.
Five other non-celebrities are also reportedly on the list.
This round of detentions is the third one after Taiwanese actor Darren Wang was arrested in February for allegedly dodging the island's mandatory military service.
A second round of detentions took place in May, with William Liao of Lollipop, Nine Chen of boy band W0LF(S), Jushe Lee of defunct boy band Choc7 and actor Daniel Chen among those summoned.
Wang, 34, Liao, 40, and 26 others were charged in June for their involvement in a syndicate run by a man named Chen Chih-ming to produce falsified documents to help them evade military service.
Hsiu, 42, had performed five months of alternative service in 2016 when his wife, Taiwanese actress Alyssa Chia, was pregnant with their second child.
The couple have two daughters aged eight and 10.
Taiwanese media outlet ETtoday said that after being detained, Hsiu admitted that despite being physically fit, he had paid NT$150,000 (S$6,300) for a forged medical report claiming he has high blood pressure.
Chen Bo-lin, 42, Chang, 44, and Jaydaone, 39, also reportedly paid NT$100,000, NT$150,000 and NT$300,000 respectively for forged medical reports, according to the Taiwanese media.
Hsiu is best known for starring in Taiwanese dramas such as Mars (2004) and Black & White (2009). He recently played Zhang Jinhe, the second son of a wealthy Peranakan family, in Mediacorp's blockbuster series Emerald Hill - The Little Nyonya Story (2025).
Chen is known for starring in Hong Kong movie The Twins Effect II (2004) and Taiwanese idol drama In Time With You (2011).
His recent acting credits include Taiwanese horror comedy Dead Talents Society (2024) and Taiwanese TV series Breeze By The Sea (2024 to 2025). He was in Singapore to watch the Formula One Singapore Airlines Singapore Grand Prix earlier in October.
Energy, formed in 2002, made a comeback in 2024 after going on hiatus in 2009. They held a concert tour in 2024, including a stop in Singapore in November.
