Wednesday, December 17, 2008

[08.12.17][News] Adieu 2008! You Can Say It Now: About Junjin’s Panic Disorder

Sports Donga article (Adieu 2008! You Can Say It Now): About Junjin’s Panic Disorder

A sad confession that comes without asking… what good fortune is this!

Singer Junjin is now riding a wave of popularity with his stints on various variety programs such as Yashimmanman on SBS and Infinite Challenge on MBC, and has even sparked off terms like “Janppinom” and “Junstin Jinberlake”. The last time this reporter met him was in April, when he just released his first solo album.

I met him for the first time because of the interview, but media-savvy Junjin could still go about the interview in a friendly manner and share interesting stories, making the interview process a lot easier. He possesses such naivete and honesty that it was hard to believe that he has been part of an idol group that has enjoyed popularity for a decade.

Junjin was very honest, and answered every question in a most straightforward way. He made comments without hesitating and even I was concerned about his honesty. I asked him, “How do I explain your response… Can I really just write this into the article?”

During the interview, we talked about the issue of rumours and scandals too. In his 10 years in showbiz, he has faced countless rumours and scandals. Perhaps it was the pent-up frustration, but Junjin spoke of those times in a somewhat emotional tone. Even without me probing further, Junjin talked about his panic disorder, which he suffered from since early on in his career. He even thought of leaving Shinhwa to study abroad because of that, but with the help of fellow member Kim Dongwan, he managed to calm his troubled self down.

After the hour-long interview, a rep from his management company requested me not to write about his panic disorder. But I turned down the request, and I said, “I didn’t prompt him to talk about this, and he was the one that brought it up first, why can’t I write about it.” His management company was concerned that this may affect his promotional activities for his album.

The story went to print anyway, and when I met Junjin again after the report surfaced, he wasn’t as forthcoming with reporters anymore.

From that day until now, the distance between us hasn’t quite narrowed. I hope to say this to him, through this article:

I’m sorry for what happened then, and congratulations on overcoming the obstacles and scaling yet another high point in your career.

Source: Sports Donga & dacapo
Chi trans: jojoyu7@shinhwachina
Eng trans: midnightgirl13@absolutshinhwa.wordpress.com

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