Lead member of 2PM Jaebeom leaves the group
Posted by CD | Posted in Funny and crazy stuff, Tuesday's Music | Posted on 09-08-2009 | 17 Comments »
Wow, come back from a weekend and one of the most popular groups in Korea loses one of it’s member. Is this the end for 2PM? what a shocker…makes me want to listen to ‘Again 
and Again”. So what happen?? This article from the Korean Times says it all! Ohh did you hear there is a petition going around for Jaebeom to commit suicide because of what he wrote when he was 18. I mean honestly even though he is Korean, he was born in the US and raised here…and then having to go to Korea …well there is a big cultural difference. Anyways, what are your thoughts? Comment here
By Cathy Rose A. Garcia
Staff Reporter
2PM leader Jae-beom is quitting the popular boy band and leaving Korea, days after he was embroiled in a controversy regarding negative comments about Korea he made four years ago.
Jae-beom made the announcement by posting a message to his fans on the official 2PM fan Web site, Tuesday.
“I’m sorry to give you this last greeting through this letter. I think it will be hard for me to go on stage and see you because of my remorseful heart. I’m very sorry to everyone, and even sorrier to fans who have given me their love. Starting today, I will be leaving 2PM,” he said.
The Korean-American singer also apologized to his fellow 2PM members for leaving the group this way. “I’m sorry I couldn’t be a strong leader and older brother, and for having to leave like this. … Once again, I’m sorry.”
A representative from 2PM’s management agency JYP Entertainment confirmed that Jae-beom had left the boy band. Jae-beom will be going back to the United States, but there is no word on his future plans. 
The group was supposed to release a full-length album this October, but plans have been put on hold. “As for 2PM, there are no plans of getting a replacement for Jae-beom. 2PM will stop all its activities as of now,”’ the JYP Entertainment representative said.
Jae-beom was the center of netizens’ outrage over comments about Korea that he made to a friend on the social networking site MySpace around 2005-2007. Jae-beom, who was then a trainee at JYP Entertainment, wrote: “Korea is gay. I hate Koreans. I wanna come back.”’
When the comments belatedly surfaced last week, Korean fans quickly lashed out at the young singer, saying they were disappointed in his comments and felt betrayed. Jae-beom had already issued an apology over the weekend, saying he first came to Korea as a high school freshman and did not know much about the country or the language.
“The comments that I made were emotional expressions of discontent over my situation at that time … I sincerely apologize,”’ he said, Saturday.
After Jae-beom’s announcement, fans expressed their opinions on 2PM fan Web sites, Korean entertainment news blogs and networking sites like Twitter. Fans’ reactions ranged from being “sad and heartbroken” about Jae-beom’s departure, to anger directed at JYP Entertainment head Park Jin-young.
The final episode of 2PM’s show “Wild Bunny”’ was supposed to air on Mnet channel, Tuesday. Due to the controversy, Mnet has decided to indefinitely postpone its airing.
Jae-beom debuted with the seven-member group 2PM in 2008. Since then, 2PM has become one of the hottest groups in the country.
Update 9.16.09: JYP’s letter to fans read it here
Wow, this is crazy! Can't believe people are worrying about what he said 5 years ago…it was cultural shock and that's that. Anyways, who knows how much of a fight he made, maybe he wanted to come back to the USA…who knows…but its true, you can be famous in korea as long as you are cute and handsome…and Jae fit that bill…
i know but people should mind there own bisness. they daon't need to be so nosy. see that, that what u get for bloging about Jay. if somebody made this website or found it and told it to everyone i want a piece of mind with you. why whould someidiot wants to blog about Jay when they are fams from him
poor think i already miss himm!! 2pm is not the real 2pm without himm.. i hope he will come back again.. ASAP!! <333
soo sadd…. i fell like crying.. it feels like someone died =((
please forgive him!!
I don't think he will come back…he might try to do a solo career after a couple years or something.
i feel so sad but i want him to come back. ur right maybe or maybe not but who knows. awwww, i feel so sad. Jay if u are on this website plz comebak. who would do such a thing.
[polldaddy 1973098 http://answers.polldaddy.com/poll/1973098/ polldaddy]
bcoz i hope he will come back to korea..
That girl made the biggest mistake of her life when she killed his heart by releasing that old news about him.
All of his fans know she regrets it and I know she does. She's just so low-lifed enough to do that. He will always be successful no matter where he is. WELCOME BACK TO THE UNITED STATES WHERE NO ONE WILL BACKSTAB YOU. YOU'RE ALWAYS WELCOMED HERE, YOUR HOME COUNTRY!! We love you, no doubt about it
- Wendy <3333
i cant not believe jae really left. my friend told me last night and i had to read about it. i couldn't believe it. fans already forgave him and everything, but i guess it's just that he couldn't face korea knowing that what he had said about them beforehand hurt them. i would definitely hope jyp allows jae to come back once things are settled and maybe when he reflects upon himself (thats what jyp said jae needed to do) then maybe he can come back. i can't look at 2pm the same way again if jae isnt there!! but since he's in seattle, maybe ill bump into him since seattle is my homee haha.
I’m just wondering what will happen to 2PM, they are canceling a lot of their engagements. Maybe it is only for the time-being.
and for the worst, they using him for selling 2pm's new album 1:59? WTH?!
Most of the songs on that album are old songs. They just remixed them. Anyways, I wish they would just let him have some peace. JYP was speaking to KHD the other day about the whole experience…the Wonder Girls were also there…
u know, i wish he knew that the people who loves and cares 4 him are always support him.
i don't know maybe just maybe we don't need him. but that don't matter with ur life. he will come back someday. i know why he lives. he live in LA. i am sad to but i am mad becasue people don't need to be nosy and get in his bisness. he needs to have some space. the who 2pm group became dark when Jay left
lol you see the black guy in the back he was like wtf is going on
whoever found the his comments on myspace and post it, i dont know if i should blame them, or blame the ppl that attack him and cause him to go back o US.
he did wrong, so what, u guys didn't do anything wrong in your life? have u ever think in the past and feel shame , or wish u never did that, did this? although i'm not Jay's fan, i'm not blame him, he was born and raise in different culture, what he said was in the past, year after year we can see him change, he learn korean, he learn the culture, when i see him play with 2PM members, he just had so much fun and close to them, korean ppl just push him away when he starting to love them.
I think this whole thing is bananas and people are just being overly sensitive thus this is a prime example of those of which whom are being overly sensitive and digging up dirt from the past. I mean this comment was most likley expressed over stress, being a pop-icon isn't an easy task. Jay was probably having one of those downer moments over his mundane routines and to express himself he made a brash comment. I also believe that why he wrote it was because he was kinda lonely, I mean if you think about it in general if your family is like half the world away and your only source of social solidarity is to talk to you pals online it's understandable. Like most of us who are human, when we have a downer moment in life we sometimes smack talk ex: I hate my uni because my prof is gay but in reality I don't think my prof is gay nor do I really care about my uni, I just probably didn't put enough effort and felt the need to blame someone for it to express my feelings of being upset at myself. His comment was left pretty much open ended, why did he say koreans are gay? what was the triggered it?