Super Junior’s Kyuhyun explains SM Entertainment parking fee controversy
Super Junior member Kyuhyun has explained the circumstances behind his recent parking fee controversy with former agency SM Entertainment.
Earlier this week, Super Junior’s Kyuhyun made the news for comments he made while on the South Korean variety show, Knowing Bros. During his guest appearance, the singer spoke about how when he visited the SM Entertainment office to practice for upcoming Super Junior activities, he had been asked to pay for parking.
Notably, the singer had left SM Entertainment in July of 2023, after being signed to the agency for nearly two decades. In August that year, he joined Antenna, the company founded by comedian Yoo Jae-suk.
Kyuhyun’s comments soon stirred sentiments online, with many South Korean netizens criticising SM Entertainment for allegedly making him pay for parking after leaving the agency, as reported by Koreaboo.
However, the K-pop idol has since explained his comments during an appearance on the SBS Power FM’s radio show, Music High. “I said it jokingly, but since it caused quite a stir, I think I owe an explanation,” he told host DinDin, per SBS Star.
The singer explained how he discovered that after leaving SM Entertainment, his current manager had been “paying parking fees with my credit card every time I went to the [company’s] headquarters”, and said he thought it was “unfair”.
However, he later learned that SM Entertainment employees “had to pay for parking too” as the agency doesn’t own the building its situated in, but instead leases it. “After learning about that, I realised [it was] a huge misunderstanding,” he explained.
Kyuhyun later spoke about how those at SM Entertainment had reacted to his comments and the controversy, revealing that “they weren’t particularly upset about it”.
“I also learned that both company-registered cars and those that aren’t registered all have to pay parking fees,” he added. “I’d like to give my deepest, most sincere apology for any confusion I may have caused.”
The post Super Junior’s Kyuhyun explains SM Entertainment parking fee controversy appeared first on NME.
Puah Ziwei
NME
