Kim Hyun Joong, a South Korean Actor, Singer, and Songwriter
Kim Hyun-joong (김현중) is a South Korean actor, singer, and songwriter. He was born on June 6th, 1986, in Seoul, South Korea. He is widely known for his lead acting roles in the famous dramas Boys Over Flowers and Playful Kiss. He is a member of the boy band SS501.After debuting with SS501 in 2005, Kim Hyun Joong released his first Korean solo album in 2011 titled Break Down and in 2012, he released his first Japanese solo album Unlimited.
Kim Hyun Joong is considered one of South Korea’s biggest Hallyu stars in the early 2010s. Kim Hyun Joong recently released a full-length Japanese album titled The Moon, The Sun and Your Song in February 2020. He also embarked on a two-month (February and March) Japan tour of the same title. On February 21st, he appeared on the cover of the Korean Wave Japanese Magazine Hanryu Pia for the fourth time.
In this article, Byeol Korea will provide you with a detailed explanation of his military discharge, and also Kim Hyun Joong’s various scandals that happened in 2017. So, stay tuned and keep scrolling down.
Kim Hyun Joong’s Military Discharge
After 21 months of active duty soldier, Kim Hyun Joong was discharged from the army. On February 11th, the actor relayed his thoughts on being discharged and said, “I feel like I’m starting the second half of my life.” He enlisted on May 12th, 2015, and served as a border patrol in a dangerous area between North and South Korea.
He spoke briefly to the crowd of loyal fans who turned out to support him. There was also a large number of reporters attending, and a live feed of the event was shared. “Thank you for coming all the way to this remote place in such [bad] weather,” the star said to everyone. “I’ve learned a lot during my enlistment and in [these] difficult times. [Upon] being discharged, I feel like I’m beginning the second half of life. Honestly, I am worried and afraid too. I’ve thought a lot during these past 21 months. I’ve learned the way to move forward and have gained courage.” Kim continued, “I cannot share any specifics for my future plans, but I will say hello to my fans in a nice place in the near future.”
He also said, “I still have a lot of worries and fears. However, I felt many things, learned how to overcome, and thought a lot while I was in the army. I hope people will trust me more and watch over me.” As for his future plans, he said, “The very first thing I need to do is meet my parents. I met them while I was on leave, but I want to greet them formally after being discharged. I can’t give any details about plans for activities, but I think I will greet fans soon.”
Kim Hyun Joong Scandal With Ms. Choi
In August 2014, Kim’s girlfriend, identified only by her surname Choi, filed charges of assault against Kim, claiming that he had repeatedly beaten her, causing bruises and broken ribs. The prosecution claimed that a fine of 5 million won ($4,600) had been levied on Kim Hyun Joong for using violence against his former girlfriend. Kim only partially admitted the charges at first, saying that he accidentally hurt her while trying out some techniques of martial arts. Later, he made an official apology to her, fully admitting his wrongdoing.
In February 2015, a magazine reported that Kim and Choi had been reunited and that Choi was pregnant. Kim said through a press release that he had not seen Choi since she told him she was pregnant in January, and could not confirm if he was the father. The agency stated, “It is true that Kim Hyun-joong and his ex-girlfriend, surnamed Choi, met up a few times (after the lawsuit came to a close), but agreed to go their separate ways at the end of last year. Kim and his parents tried to reach Choi multiple times to find out whether she was really pregnant and in good condition,” the agency also said. “Kim asked Choi to get a medical checkup at a hospital, but she rejected it.”
In April, Choi sued Kim Hyun Joong claiming that before her current pregnancy, she had suffered a miscarriage after Kim became physically violent. Choi asked for 1.6 billion won ($1.4 million) in damages. However, Kim later filed and won a 100 million KRW counter-suit against Choi for defamation, with the court ruling that there was circumstantial evidence that she was not pregnant in 2014. Her lawsuit was dismissed, and she appealed the decision.
In December 2015, a paternity test revealed that Kim was the father of a baby that Choi had given birth to in September of that year. According to Seoul National University’s Department of Medicine, which conducted the test, the child born to the entertainer’s ex-girlfriend in September is biologically his, with an accuracy rate of 99.9999 percent.
Previously, Kim Hyun Joong filed a lawsuit against her in relation to compensation for damages due to the manipulation of parts of the messages between her and Kim Hyun Joong and the making of false statements. The Chief Judge said that when looking at the recovered text messages, there were no parts that were particularly disadvantageous to Ms. Choi and that no distorted parts could be found.
However, Ms. Choi was found guilty of making a false statement when she said that she had been pregnant and Kim Hyun Joong forced her to have an abortion in October 2014 as Ms. Choi admitted that this part of her statement was false herself.