A popular South Korean television actor who joined the Marines for his mandatory military service was Monday ordered to serve on a frontline island near the contested sea border.

Hyun Bin, 29, joined the force last month and will be based on Baengnyeong island after completing six weeks of basic training this week, the Marines said in a statement.

The actor has starred in hit television dramas including "Secret Garden" and "My Name is Kim Sam-Soon". He appeared with Chinese "Lust, Caution" star Tang Wei in the movie "Late Autumn".

The Marines originally planned to assign Hyun to public relations duties but after public criticism changed their mind to show he would not receive special treatment.

Able-bodied South Korean men are required to serve at least two years in the military and they can volunteer to do their time in the elite Marine corps, which requires tough physical tests.

Marines are garrisoned on islands near the disputed Yellow Sea border, the scene of deadly naval clashes with the North in 1999, 2002 and November 2009.

The South says a North Korean submarine fired a torpedo to sink one of its warships in March 2010, with the loss of 46 lives.

Pyongyang denies that attack, but last November it shelled a border island, leaving four dead and briefly sparking fears of war.