Super Junior‘s Kim Heechul has revealed the reason why he stopped appearing on popular variety show Knowing Bros.
On August 1st, a video titled “The first idol, the superstar Kim Heechul who almost participated in a control diss battle” was released on YouTube.
In the video, Kim Heechul explained the reason for leaving Knowing Bros, saying, “We film every Thursday. During Super Junior’s 20th anniversary tour last year, when concerts were scheduled on Fridays, Saturdays, or Sundays, I had to skip recordings, or sometimes we would film two episodes all at once because of me.”
He then mentioned Kang Ho Dong‘s professionalism, saying, “Ho Dong hyung always prioritizes the viewers. Even if he’s tired, has a broken leg, or catches a cold, he thinks showing it is rude to the viewers,” adding, “Meeting Ho Dong hyung really changed me a lot.”
Kim Heechul continued, “Ho Dong hyung always says, ‘That’s not allowed.’ No one can say anything to him because while we have time to sit or rest during shooting, Ho Dong hyung stands the entire time,” he said. “Watching him, I felt no one could question the appearance fee he receives.”
He added, “In the past, I didn’t understand why he went to such lengths, but now I truly respect him.”
However, Kim Heechul admitted he faced physical limits while juggling overseas tours and broadcasting. He explained, “With the schedule going back and forth between Korea and overseas, I could no longer jump and move energetically in the front row of Knowing Bros like before.” He said, “I judged that it wasn’t professional of me and after discussing with the production team, I stopped appearing.”
Finally, Kim Heechul expressed special affection, saying, “Knowing Bros is the program that allowed me to live a second life.“