Yoo Seung Jun Speaks On 2PM Jaebeom's Self-Imposed Exile

Yoo Seung Jun, the former KPOP singer who debuted in 1997, gave his thoughts on 2PM's ex-leader Jaebeom's September 2009 withdrawal from the band and exile in the U.S. As ALLKPOP reported, the interview took place in Hong Kong, while Seung Jun was on break from filming his movie with Jackie Chan, called 'Little Big Soldier.' Both KPOP stars, who withdrew from their singing careers in Korea, have had similar journeys.

One, they both spent formative years in the U.S., returning to Korea as adults to become household names thanks to their KPOP stardom. Two, at the height of both their careers, they faced scandals, causing them to leave Korea--Seung Jun by law and Jaebeom by volition. Seung Jun was kicked out of Korea for becoming a U.S. citizen, which at the time freed him from the 2-year mandatory military service faced by all South Korean young men. His U.S. naturalization would not have been such a flaming issue had he not told the public prior to becoming a citizen that he would serve those years in the military.

As for Jaebeom, his Myspace comments while he was a trainee at JYP entertainment , which was from 2005 through 2007, disappointed many fans who discovered them in 2009. He wrote to a U.S. acquaintance: "Korea is gay. I hate Koreans. I wanna come back." These words stirred up hot enough controversy to set the Korean-American singer packing. He first wrote an apology to fans on the 2PM website, voluntarily dismissing himself from the band and left the country on September 8, 2009.

During the interview, when asked about his 2002 deportation, Seung Jun explained how he regrets that he did not get a chance to explain his story. He is not expecting forgiveness for his action but hopes for a pardon down the road. As for Jaebeom's self-imposed exile, Seung Jun expressed, "My heart goes out to him. I wondered how he could continue on after such an incident. As a young man, he made a mistake, but if people make mistakes, if given the opportunity of a second chance, don't you think he could grow and blossom into something much larger?"