K-pop boy band member Jo Kwon will enlist in the military next month, temporarily leaving the K-pop scene, industry sources said Tuesday.

He will enter military boot camp on Aug. 6 to begin his 21-month mandatory military service as a regular soldier, according to the sources.

Jo debuted in 2008 as a member of 2AM, under the wing of JYP Entertainment, before signing a contract with Cube Entertainment in November last year. Despite the transfer, the four-member group remains intact, Jo has said.

With the new management agency, Jo released his first single, "Lonely," in January.

In February, he was engulfed in a public controversy after he was found to have earned a master's degree at a graduate school in Seoul without fulfilling the requirements for the degree. The education minister then canceled his degree. (Yonhap)