Super Junior's Kangin leaves group after 14 years

On July 11, mega K-pop boy band Super Junior lost another member after Kangin announced his departure from the group via an Instagram post.

After eight months of radio silence on social media, the singer posted a message on his personal Instagram to announce that he was leaving the group after being a Super Junior member for 14 years.

"Hello. This is Kangin. This is my first greeting to all of you in a long time.

I say this with a heavy heart as this is not good news. After much reflection and consideration, I decided to post this.

I have decided to let go of the name "Super Junior" which has been with me for a very long time.

All this time, I felt extremely apologetic to all my members.

I have always known that it would be better for me to come to a decision sooner but with the unending support I received from kind people around me, I found it difficult to gather courage and make a decision.

However, after seeing many members in my group and people in my agency being troubled because of me, I realised I had to come to a decision now and not delay it any further.

More than anything, I am the most sorry to E.L.F who have been loving me unconditionally for the past 14 years.

I know this may be too late, but now, I will let go of the name Super Junior. As I continue to walk down my new road alone, I will continue feeling apologetic and I will always carry the gratitude I feel in my heart.

I would like to say thank you to my fellow members and express gratitude to my agency's staff for being considerate towards me and respecting me all the way until the end.

I always continue cheering on the success of Super Junior forever.

Thank you."

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Super Junior's company, Label SJ, also confirmed that he will no longer be part of the boy band but will still stay with the group's parent company, SM Entertainment, until his contract expires.

Kangin debuted in Super Junior in 2005 under SM Entertainment.

However, since 2009, he has been involved in numerous scandals, including driving under the influence (DUI) and alleged violence.

He rejoined the group in 2012 for their sixth album, Sexy, Free & Single, after his completing national service, but got into another DUI case in 2016.

Super Junior debuted as a 12-member project group before becoming a permanent boy band after Kyuhyun joined. Over the years, Han Geng and Kim Kibum has left the group.

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This article was first published on CLEO Singapore