On the October 16th broadcast of MBC’s variety show “Radio Star”, Kim Jaejoong, Kim Byungman, Sam Hammington, Cao Lu and Kim Dongjun appeared as guests.
It was Kim Jaejoong’s first appearance on MBC in 15 years, following Kim Junsu. Kim Jaejoong expressed his determination to deliver a better performance than Kim Junsu, saying, “I think I’ll be able to talk about things I haven’t shared before.”
Kim Jaejoong mentioned that he once met Lee Soo-man on a plane four years ago. He recalled, “He was sitting next to me, and since it had been so long, I wanted to convey my changed feelings, so I wrote a letter on an in-flight postcard during the two-hour journey. When we landed, I gave it to him, and he said, ‘Keep doing well and work hard.’”
Kim Jaejoong humorously added, “I was satisfied with that, but later I heard through Heechul that Lee Soo-man bragged about it, saying something like, ‘Jaejoong gave me a letter. Who is Jaejoong?’ He apparently said this 3~4 times.” Kim Jaejoong expressed deep gratitude, “There were many incidents, but the fact that I exist today is thanks to him debuting me and shaping who I am. So I wanted to express my gratitude.”
Kim Jaejoong also cleared up a rumor that he was forced to get a nipple piercing by his agency. He explained, “There was a rumor that the company made me do it. I did get it, but it was by my own choice. It wasn’t for a concept; I started getting piercings as a hobby to deal with stress.“
He also revealed his adoption story, which gained significant attention. Kim Jaejoong said, “I was adopted when I was three years old, into a family with eight older sisters. I didn’t know I was adopted at first. I only found out after my debut, and even then, the word ‘adoption’ felt uncomfortable to bring up with my family.”
Kim Jaejoong recounted how he discovered the truth, “Even after debuting, my parents didn’t tell me. I was filming the music video for ‘I Believe’ when I got a call from an unknown number. At the time, I was receiving many calls from obsessive fans, so I wasn’t going to answer it, but something felt different. I paused the filming to answer, and the person said, ‘Jaejoon, how have you been?’ The name ‘Jaejoon’ was what my aunt used to call me, and suddenly, everything clicked.” He continued, “The company was making a photobook, and I sent them pictures from when I was a baby. The photos were from before I was three years old, and that’s when (my original family) contacted me.”
Kim Jaejoong also shared his appreciation for his friends and family, “When I was little, I thought I had to hide that I was adopted, but my friends already knew and kept it a secret. My youngest older sister even hid her real birthday. We were in the same school year, and she never celebrated her birthday on the actual day to avoid rumors. It was only when we became adults that she started celebrating her real birthday. I was so grateful for that.”