Taiwanese Stars Face Army Evasion Storm Again: Bolin Chen, Chieh-Kai Shiu, Energy Members Detained

The Taiwanese star Darren Wang’s military evasion case earlier this year has continued to brew. In addition to the second round in May, when Nine Chen and Daniel Chen were taken in by prosecutors, the third round of searches began this month. Bolin Chen, Chieh-Kai Shiu, Zhang Shu-Wei of 'Energy', and Liao Yun-Chieh of 'Lollipop F' were all subpoenaed for questioning. Energy's Kunda Hsieh is currently being detained as well. His wife, Alice Ko, just missed out on the Golden Bell Awards recently, and now faces a lawsuit herself—truly a double blow!

This year, Energy won the Golden Melody 'Song of the Year' award with “Friday Night.” Online, some have questioned how they can showcase so much stamina on stage yet all members have supposedly been exempt from military service, sparking public skepticism. Shu-Wei and Kunda were detained on the 21st, but whether they are involved remains under further investigation.

Energy was formed in 2002. After a 21-year hiatus, they have reunited and regained their popularity, but their military exemptions have reignited controversy. Adi (Siao Ching-Hung) was discharged after 12 days of service due to lumbar disc herniation. Toro (Kuo Wei-Yun) received an exemption for scoliosis, and Milk (Yeh Nai-Wen) was exempt due to spinal dislocation.

Shu-Wei, who was detained by police on the 21st, was exempt due to thalassemia. He previously revealed that anemia made him prone to dizziness, and during a 2008 shoot in Malaysia, even riding in vehicles made him dizzy, and he would see stars if he stood up after sitting too long. As for Kunda, he was hospitalized and had surgery for spontaneous pneumothorax in 2005, leaving a scar on his chest. When filming “Back to Home” in 2019, the scar still needed to be covered by makeup.

Chieh-Kai Shiu “discharged early due to Alyssa Chia’s pregnancy”

Currently 42 years old, Chieh-Kai Shiu enlisted on May 12, 2016, and was assigned to serve alternative service at the New Taipei City Civil Affairs Bureau. He was 33 at the time and served as an anti-drug ambassador during his service. After 5 months, he was discharged early due to his wife Alyssa Chia’s pregnancy. Why is he being investigated despite serving alternative service? His agent responded to 'Apple News': “Still checking.” Alyssa Chia has not responded yet.

Bolin Chen detained twice for military evasion; exemption reason not glorious

Bolin Chen, Chieh-Kai Shiu, and Shu-Wei are currently being questioned at the police station. According to Liberty Times, when police followed leads to make the arrest, Bolin Chen seemed calm, as though he’d already been prepared for the police to arrive.

During the search, there was a woman in Bolin Chen’s residence, now confirmed to have no connection with the case. Bolin reportedly said he’s been troubled by not knowing when the police might come looking for him, and hasn’t slept well lately, but after getting caught on the 21st, he actually felt relieved. In fact, Bolin faced similar controversy in 2011, when he clarified that he was exempt from service due to asthma and stressed: “It’s nothing to be proud of.”

According to Mirror Media, when Darren Wang appeared in court earlier for army evasion investigations, his phone was confiscated and a certain voice message was found in which someone said: “I handled cases for Nine Chen and Bolin Chen before, you can ask them.” This seemingly implied Bolin was also on the evasion list, but at the time his agent simply said: “No comment.”