Korean Singer Leaves Entertainment Industry After One Critical Fail

A Korean singer has revealed his recent life as a self-employed businessman while reminiscing what happened when he left the entertainment industry.

On August 7th, a long message titled “The Story of a Self-Employed Person” was posted on the social media account of a Japanese-style yakiniku restaurant in Seoul by Kang Hyun Soo.

Opening the second chapter of his life as a food service CEO, he recalled, “I almost retired 25 years ago. I went on a show saying I would quit if I didn’t gather 2,000 people.” He referred to his 2001 appearance on MBC’s Guerrilla Concert.

The Guerrilla Concert was a popular segment where singers prepared an impromptu stage without notice and tried to meet a target number of audience members.

Although Kang Hyun Soo had reached 2,000 people, he was required to gather 5,000 spectators to be allowed to sing, but ultimately fell short by 638 people, attracting only 4,362 attendees, earning him the reputation as the first failed singer of the segment. Subsequently, his public appearances became infrequent.

He reflected, “Now I grill meat in Seongsu. There were days after opening when no one came in for a long time. At those times, I thought of that number.” He added, “It wasn’t that 638 people were missing, but rather 4,362 people actually came. It took me 25 years to realize what a single number means.” He vowed, “This time I won’t fail.” The same phrase was also included in his profile description, drawing attention.

Kang Hyun Soo first gained public attention in 1997 as part of the male duo The Mix, then re-debuted solo in 1999 with the album “CHOICE,” and hit big in 2003 under the stage name V.One with the song “I Guess So.”

Netizens who heard the news left various comments such as “I’m still listening to V.One’s songs hard,” “I was curious about his recent life, so this is very welcome,” and “I should visit soon.”