Back in July 2019, former Super Junior member Kangin (강인) announced his departure from the group after 14 long years. The news came following his involvement in a series of controversies. Among those include the allegations of driving under the influence (DUI) as well as assault.
Almost four years have passed since then, and now, Kangin has finally come forth to reveal the reason for his withdrawal from the popular K-pop group. He made his first public appearance following a lengthy hiatus on the YouTube show “Someone Else’s Life”.
Kangin first revealed how he managed to make his debut with Super Junior. He opened up by saying that he had always aspired to become a physical education teacher from a young age. He shared, “I was scouted (by SM) by chance. I went to a writing contest at school and got a business card. I was a trainee for nearly five years, and I had a good opportunity to work as a team (Super Junior).” Super Junior has since achieved international success with their back-to-back smash hits, cementing their contribution to the Hallyu Wave.
Sadly, Kangin’s fame would eventually come crashing down following his involvement in a DUI hit-and-run controversy in October 2009. After serving an eight-month period of self-reflection and completing his mandatory military service, Kangin made a comeback with Super Junior’s 6th studio album, “Sexy, Free & Single.”
The “Sorry Sorry” singer also confessed that he also wanted to reunite with his fellow members again. Unfortunately, something happened again, which would eventually become the “last straw” for him before ultimately deciding to exit the group. “I felt so bad that I can’t raise my head in front of the Super Junior members, so I wanted to return and help the team somehow. However, there was an article about me that caused some misunderstanding,” he told the interviewer.
“My name was mentioned in the group chatrooms within the entertainment industry. I did travel to Germany for a shoot with one of those friends. We did have a group chatroom among the cast members, but [the sex footage] was not present there. However, many reporters claimed that I was a member of the Jung Joonyoung chatroom. It was a complete misunderstanding,” Kangin further clarified.
He added, “I was filming a drama in Japan, and it was really hard. There were reports that said things that had nothing to do with me, even though I couldn’t remember them. I thought time would resolve everything, but it went so far as to accuse me of things I didn’t do and even mentioned Super Junior. I talked to the company and consulted with them, and eventually, I chose to leave.”
Following his exit from SuJu, Kangin remained away from the spotlight. Still, a lot of fans have been utterly curious about whether he’s still close with members of the boy group. Regarding this, Kangin replied, “It’s hard to say that (I’m) only (closest) with one member. If I were those friends, I would never meet myself again. I thought they will resent and hate me, but it’s never like that. Rather, they worry about my future more than me.”
Watch the full video here:
