SEOUL, July 11 — Super Junior’s Kangin has announced that he will be leaving the all-male K-pop group after 14 years.
Kangin, who has had a fair share of controversies in his career since joining the group in 2005, took to social media to share the sudden news of his departure with a post written in Korean on Instagram.
The post, as translated by All K-Pop, reads: “Hello. This is Kangin. It’s really been a long time since I’ve delivered news to you all. My heart is heavy as the news I have is not good news, but after a long debate, I am writing to you. As of this moment, I plan to let go of the name Super Junior, a name I had for a very long time.
“I’ve always felt nothing but feelings of apology toward my members. I’ve always felt that I needed to come to this decision as soon as possible, but due to the kind hearts of those who cheer me on unchangingly as well as my label’s staff despite my faults, I was not able to summon the courage, and I also felt that I was not in a situation where I could decide anything blindly on my own.
“However, due to my own problems, I had to watch my members suffer misfortunes that they should not have had to face, and I’ve come to the decision that I cannot delay it any longer. More than anything, I am full of apology toward E.L.F for the overflowing love that you always sent me for the past 14 years. This may be too late, but even as I let go of the name Super Junior and begin walking on my own, I will always remember these feelings of gratitude and apology.
“I want to sincerely say thank you to my members and my label’s staff for respecting me until the end. I will cheer for the success of Super Junior forever. Thank you.”
