During an interview, JYJ member Kim Junsu shared his experience of being banned from appearing on television by SM Entertainment after his departure from TVXQ.
On June 7, the latest guest on the YouTube web show, “ZIP DAESUNG,”hosted by BIGBANG member Daesung, was the second-gen K-pop icon and former TVXQ member.
On this day, the two stars reminisced about the “rivalry”between their respective legendary groups during their heyday. Junsu also shared several anecdotes about his previous group and the repercussions that followed his departure from the team.
To provide a brief history, TVXQ was first formed in 2003 with the original lineup of five members: Kim Jaejoong, Yoochun, Junsu, Yunho, and Changmin.
After being launched by SM Entertainment, they quickly rose to fame with their debut hits, “Mirotic,””Hug,”and “Rising Sun.”
Despite having debuted 6 years prior, in 2009, Jaejoong, Junsu, and Yoochun filed a lawsuit against their company, citing concerns about their 13-year contract and the way profits were being distributed as evidence of unfair treatment.
The case was resolved in 2012 with a settlement between the two parties after a three-year period. However, JYJ’s actions had a notable impact on the K-pop industry, leading to the South Korean Fair Trade Commission imposing a seven-year limit on all label contracts.
Regrettably, they experienced the consequences of defying SM when the company covertly placed Junsu, Jaejoong, and Yoochun on a “blacklist,”preventing them from appearing on national television and music programs.
After six years, Junsu was finally given the chance to break the “ban”when he appeared on EBS Space.
During the interview, Junsu recounted to Daesung the difficulties he encountered while trying to establish a career despite the ban, stating:
“I was actually worried. In the past, for example, if I had a soccer tournament with the celebrities’ soccer club, Entertainment Weekly would come to film and interview the actors or the idols.
They would interview me as well. But I knew that I couldn’t appear on TV, so I told them that, but they said it was okay so I did the interview. But it didn’t make it on the TV. I was edited out.”
Junsu stated that singing, which is his primary occupation, has stricter limitations in terms of making televised music appearances.
“Singing on stage was much more limited. My fans wouldn’t know about this, but I even had some shootings that never got aired.”
Despite feeling hopeless and on the verge of giving up, EBS reached out to him and Junsu conveyed his appreciation, stating:
“I thought about giving up then but since that stage, I thought I should keep trying although I don’t know how long I can manage. I was wondering if it would work and then I was on air. I was so thankful. I want to thank them again (EBS Space).”
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