Former Brown Eyed Soul Member Sung Hoon Reveals Reasons Behind Departure

Former Brown Eyed Soul member Sung Hoon has opened up about the circumstances that led to his departure from the group.

On the 7th, Sung Hoon took to his social media to share, "Yesterday, I heard from my most cherished fan that they couldn't even book tickets for the concert. I felt it was time to humbly clarify my position. It wasn't my decision to leave the group," he began.

He continued, "In 2022, I was waiting for the recording of the Brown Eyed Soul album. However, I was told that Naul's voice wasn't in good condition, and it was uncertain when it would recover, so I waited and prayed." Sung Hoon added, "But one morning, I woke up to find out through the internet that Naul's voice had returned and that a solo project for him was being planned."

Sung Hoon also mentioned being restricted from his personal YouTube activities, stating, "The company president suddenly came to my house with a termination contract and demanded I sign it. I was at a loss." He concluded, "I'm sorry for causing concern during the holidays. However, I felt it was necessary to clarify my position."

Meanwhile, Brown Eyed Soul's management announced in March 2023 that "member Sung Hoon has left the group. The termination of the exclusive contract was mutually agreed upon."

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Full Statement from Sung Hoon's SNS

Hello. I hope you're having a peaceful Chuseok.

Yesterday, I heard from my most cherished fan that they couldn't even book tickets for the concert. I felt it was time to humbly clarify my position.

First of all, it wasn't my decision to leave.
In 2022, I was waiting for the recording of the Brown Eyed Soul album.

However, I was told that Naul's voice wasn't in good condition, and it was uncertain when it would recover, so I waited and prayed. I couldn't just wait indefinitely, so I decided to release my second album. In the meantime, I saw Naul appearing on 'Hangout with Yoo' and felt relieved.

But one morning, I woke up to find out through the internet that Naul's voice had returned and that a solo project for him was being planned.

I think I first revealed this on a podcast with Echo Bridge. Until the day before, I was praying for Naul's voice to return, so it was a huge shock to me.

Is this what they call a 'trigger'? The resentment and anger I had suppressed for 20 years began to explode. But what kept me going was my channel, SUNG BY HOON. Even though the views weren't high, I was very happy.

However, the company president told me I couldn't continue with YouTube. He even said I should kneel and beg Naul if I wanted to continue.

The words "I don't know if the hyungs will forgive me" still hurt me. I decided not to do it. And my channel closed with Lee So-ra's 'Amen' as the last video.

Then, after releases by Sung Si-kyung, Taeyeon, and my own solo songs, CEO Lee Soo-geun suddenly came to my house with a termination contract and demanded I sign it. I was at a loss. So I told him I'd think about it and sent him away.

The next day, after much consideration, we agreed on the condition of 'not playing the media against each other.' But now they say things like 'tricycle' and 'the perfect number is three,' and that's fine. But then they should have removed my voice from the 5th album. Isn't that the polite thing to do?

The reason I'm writing this is because so many people, including my precious fans, have kindly remembered and cherished me, and it feels like a burden of guilt.

What is clear is that it wasn't my choice. I hope you understand that I wanted to protect it until the end.

I'm sorry for causing concern during the festive season. However, I felt it was necessary to clarify my position.

I wish you all health and peace. May each and every one of my precious fans always be happy.

Jung Se-yoon, Ten Asia Reporter yoon@tenasia.co.kr