"I felt nothing but sorry and apologetic rather than anxious."
Singer Jay Park candidly shared his feelings from 17 years ago when he left the group 2PM and moved to the United States. He calmly recalled the day when the sudden departure from the team and the controversy over his comments about Korea shook the music industry.
Recently appearing on the YouTube channel 'Eyes Magazine', Jay Park reminisced about his departure from 2PM while introducing the music that changed his life. He confessed, "I have a personality that accepts situations as they come, so I wasn't very anxious about the future," but added, "I was only sorry and apologetic for the fact that I caused inconvenience and harm to many people."
The reason he picked up the microphone again while living in Seattle, doing part-time jobs like changing tires, was thanks to a 'laptop' gifted by a fan. Jay Park explained, "I uploaded cover videos using the webcam on the laptop given by a fan, and it coincided with the YouTube boom, recording over 3 million views," stating that this video became the stepping stone for him to receive love calls from the industry again.
Jay Park, who debuted spectacularly as the leader of 2PM in 2008, led the 'beast idol' craze with hits like '10 Points Out of 10' and 'Again & Again'. However, he left the team due to a controversy over a post he wrote during his trainee days in 2009, and his exclusive contract with JYP Entertainment ended in 2010. At that time, the specific reasons for his departure were not disclosed, leading to various rumors and conflicts with his former agency.
Afterward, Jay Park turned the crisis into an opportunity. Successfully transforming from an idol leader to a hip-hop musician, he established AOMG and H1GHR MUSIC, exerting a unique influence in the domestic hip-hop scene. He is currently leading a new label, More Vision, and continues to be active as both an artist and entrepreneur.
Seventeen long years have passed since the incident, but Jay Park's brief confession of "I was sorry" has once again brought attention to the event that shook the music industry at that time.
