Kang Kyun-sung (44), a member of the group Noel, has directly addressed the prostitution rumors that arose after his declaration of pre-marital purity in the past.
On the 10th, Kang Kyun-sung appeared on the YouTube channel 'Life Worship' and mentioned the rumors surrounding him, saying, "There was a long post on a cafe saying 'Kang Kyun-sung from the ㄴㅇ group did this'."
He continued, "The content was that I went to a room salon, was partying like trash with someone who worked at a bar, and went out to have a relationship with that person, and it was written in a very detailed and specific way."
Kang Kyun-sung stated, "I've never even been to a bar, and I've never engaged in prostitution. I didn't even know there was a cafe where such things were posted. One morning, my phone was ringing off the hook. My friends were worried and sent me copies of the rumors. My hands were shaking as I read it," he recounted. He added, "After that, reporters contacted me, and the company reached out; it was chaos."
He said, "Such things don't get reported. If they publish an article just using initials (of the rumors), I can sue. But the rumors spread quietly. Who is in the 'ㄴㅇ' group? There's only Noel. And 'ㄱㄱㅅ' can only refer to Kang Kyun-sung. At first, I was really angry. I wanted to find this person. I wanted to confront them."
Kang Kyun-sung reflected on the background of the rumors, recalling his past statements about 'pre-marital purity.' He said, "It wasn't something I did with any grand determination or plan. It wasn't my intention."
He continued, "We hold a celebrity union worship once a month. Around 2011, comedian Lee Seong-mi suggested, 'You all know you haven't kept your purity well until now, but how about learning how precious it is to keep it and having a purity pledge ceremony?'" He explained, "Not everyone was to participate; we decided to draw lots for about a third of us. When I was about to draw lots, Lee Seong-mi said, 'You just do it,' so I ended up doing it without drawing lots."
Kang Kyun-sung said, "I never thought such a question would come up on a show, but in 2011, while promoting 'I Miss You, I Miss You,' Lee Hwi-jae asked about 'pre-marital purity' on 'Sebakwi.' I wanted to be funny since it was a variety show, so I made an extreme statement: 'I lived dirty in the past, but I will live clean from now on.' It was a provocative phrase. It was an unwise statement that could lead to various misunderstandings," he regretted, adding, "Because of this, I experienced rumors."
Kang Kyun-sung overcame his difficult feelings through religion. He said, "The Bible says to repay evil with good. At that time, there were comments, and many strange comments were posted after the rumors. I wanted to find the person spreading the rumors and confront them, even resorting to violence, but I came to have the mindset of repaying evil with good."
[Kim So-yeon, Star Today Reporter]
