Koreaboo
A top K-Pop star recalled the difficult early days of his activities in Japan, garnering attention from netizens.
On August 27th, the KBS 2TV variety show Fun-Staurant featured Kim Jaejoong‘s story of his activities in Japan.
On the broadcast, Kim Jaejoong strolled through the neighborhood where his Tokyo home is located and explained, “This is the neighborhood where I lived when I first entered Japan 20 years ago.”
Kim Jaejoong recalled, “That was in 2005. I was 19 years old.” He added, “At that time, my recognition in Japan was zero. Culturally, the atmosphere was like ‘Who are you guys?’”
Kim Jaejoong said, “I wanted to go back to Korea every day. It was tough. I even performed in places that weren’t stages—laying wooden boards on the floor to sing. I wore the same clothes repeatedly. The primary goal was to succeed here first.”
Walking along the Meguro River, Kim Jaejoong explained, “Back then, once I entered the dorm, I couldn’t go outside. When the manager wasn’t around, I secretly went out to get some fresh air. It was a space that gave me a sense of freedom.”
Later, many fans who saw Kim Jaejoong requested photos and autographs, and Kim Jaejoong said with a smile, “This is what success tastes like.“