On March 20, a video titled “Is Jong Kook ignoring me now that he’s successful?” was uploaded to the YouTube channel Life is nothing special. In the video, Kim Jung Nam shared various stories from his past.
When asked what Kim Jong Kook meant to him, Kim Jung Nam began: “Did you know that Jong Kook wasn’t originally the first member to sing Turbo songs? There was another singer before him, but he ran away. So Jong Kook ended up taking over the vocals. Those who know, know.”
He continued, “Do you know the group Indigo? There was a member called Kwak Seung Nam who was originally supposed to be the lead singer of Turbo. But after about eight months of preparation, he couldn’t handle it and left. That’s how Indigo was born. I needed someone who could sing as fast as Jong Kook, and that’s how I found him.”
Kim Jung Nam added, “Some people think that opportunities just come and that you should make good use of them. But if you can’t treat others sincerely and make them yours, you shouldn’t think that way. I was only 23 or 24 years old: how could I think like that? So when the other member said he wanted to leave, I just told him, ‘Okay, go if you want.’ That’s how I finally met Jong Kook through the people around me.
He reflected, “That actually became a better opportunity for me. If I had reacted badly at that time and left everything, I would never have met Jong Kook. I was desperately looking for someone to sing with me. I was confident in dancing and rapping, but not in singing, so I really wanted someone who could sing well.”
Kim Jung Nam revealed, “I found Jong Kook within a month through contacts. To me, Jong Kook is like a younger brother who is even better than the older one – that’s the best way to describe him. If he had gone out on his own and become successful and started acting arrogant, I wouldn’t have stayed close to him. But that’s not the case at all. When we meet, he hugs me and says, ‘Hyung, I’ll help you with whatever you want.’ After “Endless Challenge – REPAIR”when we released an album, Jong Kook paid for everything himself.
He continued, “The music video alone cost more than 300 million won, all paid from Jong Kook’s own pocket. People don’t know this, they probably think a company covered it, but it was all his doing. It must have cost even more. Naturally, I was deeply moved. Now I even told my company that anything related to Jong Kook should be decided by him.”
Kim Jung Nam pointed out: “When I work alone, I do my best. But when it comes to Turbo, especially anything related to Jong Kook, I follow his decisions completely. It’s part of my contract. It’s a matter of respect. Jong Kook has been active in broadcasting for over 30 years, while I only promoted for about eight months. I debuted in August 1995 and promoted until December, then took a break to prepare the second album before an accident happened. People don’t realize that I was only active for eight months.”
Meanwhile, Kim Jong Kook reportedly held a private wedding ceremony in Seoul last September. The ceremony was held in secret, and other than the fact that his bride is not a celebrity, no further details were revealed.
Sources: newsen
