Once-popular K-pop idol considered name change after drunk-driving, assault scandals

Kang-in, 41, a former member of K-pop group Super Junior who spent years out of the spotlight following drunk-driving hit-and-run incidents and assault controversies, has revealed he even considered changing his name.

Kang-in appeared on the YouTube channel "Neo-ui Han" on Friday, sharing his story with a shaman on the program.

"I got caught up in an assault dispute with ordinary people. Then I drove drunk, enlisted in the military, struggled to make a comeback — and drove drunk again while I was supposed to be lying low," he said. "It was truly wrong. I was just a crazy kid."

Kang-in was embroiled in an assault incident at a bar in 2009 after a confrontation with an intoxicated patron, and a month later caused a drunk-driving hit-and-run accident in October 2009. Fined, he halted activities, completed his military service and resumed his career, but drew criticism again in 2015 for skipping a reserve forces training session. In 2016, he caused another drunk-driving hit-and-run and was sentenced to a fine. In 2017, he assaulted his girlfriend at a bar late at night, prompting fans to turn their backs on him. Ultimately, Kang-in left Super Junior in 2019.

"After my last mistake, I stayed home for months with the curtains drawn," he said. "My family kept checking on me, worried something might happen to me. I kept drifting toward the darkness inside the house, but people close to me pulled me back out into the world."

He also said that children of his friends search his name online, adding that he has to tell them not to say "Uncle's name is Kang-in!" He then said, "I know it will follow me for the rest of my life and that it was my fault, but I briefly considered going by a different name."

Kang-in held overseas fan meetings earlier this year and broke his long hiatus in April with the release of a digital single, "Love Is Pain."

"I honestly don't have dreams of being wildly active again," he said. "If I'm given the chance, I want to go back to where I started."