TOP, who now works as an actor under his real name Choi Seung Hyun, sat down with the press for the first time in 11 years to discuss his unexpected departure from BIGBANG.
For years, the music icon had remained silent about the group he was leaving in 2023. However, on January 15, he finally opened up, revealing what led to his decision in an exclusive interview with News1.
“I’m the one who caused so much damage to the team called BIGBANG,” TOP confessed.
“There were a lot of thoughts in my head at that time and I realized that I couldn’t do any more harm to the team, so I told the label and the members that I would be leaving the team after my discharge from the military,” added the singer of “DOOM DADA”.
He completed community service in 2019. However, for the past seven years, he has worked mostly in isolation at home and in the music studio and has even thought about interrupting his social life.
During his hiatus, he occasionally interacted with BIGBANG fans, known as VIPs. But he also attracted attention for allegedly blocking fans from tagging and mentioning him in BIGBANG-related posts and content.
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“In my case, I felt like it was torture looking at the tagged photos of me and the members on SNS and wishing we could get together. As the person involved, I felt very distressed. I can’t think of anything harder than seeing the photo of a separated family,” TOP explained
In 2022, TOP made its last release with the trio – G-Dragon, Taeyang and Daesung – with the single “Still Life”.
Initially, fans speculated that he would return to the music scene, but he eventually confirmed his departure from the group when his contract with YG Entertainment expired.
“After the ‘Still Life’ project ended around the time my contract expired, I decided that I had to leave BIGBANG. I was ashamed to go back and had to endure the mistakes I made and the criticism that came with it . The biggest My thought was that I couldn’t cause harm (to the team) because of who I am.”
When asked if he had also severed contact with the remaining members, TOP responded vaguely but hinted at his unwavering affection for his former group, mentioning their reunion at the 2024 MAMA Awards.
“I have to feel sorry for the rest of my life. So I won’t be able to contact them easily because I still feel a huge sense of guilt,” the idol actor responded.
“Of course, I saw (BIGBANG at the 2024 MAMA Awards). They are really amazing and I will continue to root for them to do well in the future,” TOP added.
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