Former CNBLUE member Lee Jong-hyun has decided to stop using social media again, only a day after returning to the platform following about eight years away from public life.
Lee shared a long statement on August 11 explaining his decision and addressing questions about his past. He made it clear that his return to social media was not connected to plans for an entertainment comeback.
Instead, he said he wanted to correct rumors about his current civilian work and clear up misunderstandings involving CNBLUE.
According to AllKPop, at the end of his revised statement, Lee wrote, “With this post, I do not intend to engage in any further social media activities or additional communication.” His decision came shortly after he reactivated his personal account on August 10.
Lee had initially appeared ready to reconnect with the public, sharing photos and videos from his daily life. Some posts showed him working in an office and testing cosmetics. He also said he had been learning about marketing in the beauty industry after spending years away from the entertainment world.
At that point, Lee appeared interested in living more openly as an ordinary person. That changed one day later.
Lee Jong-hyun Denies Being Shunned
In his new statement, Lee looked back on his time with CNBLUE and accepted responsibility for leaving the group. He said his past words, actions, and immaturity had caused misunderstandings and pain for the members.
Lee also addressed speculation that his former bandmates had rejected or ignored him. “Some fans may have thought I was shunned by the members, but this is entirely untrue,” he said.
He added that leaving the group was his own choice and that he carried responsibility for the decision, TheChosun reported.
The revised message also briefly mentioned hardships in his personal life after leaving entertainment.
A previous version reportedly included more personal details, but those details were removed when the statement was replaced.
Lee also pushed back against speculation surrounding his beauty-related work. He stressed that his message was not meant to promote a business or signal a return to show business. He said he wanted to prevent false rumors involving brands and business matters.
Lee left CNBLUE in 2019 after his involvement in the Jung Joon-young group chat controversy became public. He was identified as someone who viewed illegally filmed videos and participated in inappropriate conversations. He was also criticized for sending inappropriate messages to internet broadcaster Park Min-jung.