Kang-in
Kim Young-woon (born January 17, 1985), better known by his stage name
Kang-in, is a Korean pop singer, actor, MC, presenter, and a member of the
super boy band Super Junior. His name 'Kang-in' (Hanja: 強仁), meaning strong
benevolence, was given to him to complement his personality. Currently,
Kang-in will not be joining Super Junior for their fourth album. He will be
starting his two-year military service in October 2010.
Musical career
See also: Super Junior's musical career
Kang-in was scouted by a talent agent and was recommended to sign up for
SM Entertainment's talent competitions. In 2002, Kang-in won first place on
the fourth annual SM Youth Best Contest and won the best outward
appearance award and signed a contract with SM Entertainment.
Along with Hero, U-Know and future band mate Heechul, SM Entertainment
placed them in a small project music group called Four Seasons, with each of
the four members representing the four seasons of the year. The prospective
group never came through; both Hero and U-Know were chosen to join
another all-male singing group TVXQ, which debuted in December 2003.
With two members gone, the idea of Four Seasons dropped. Kang-in and
Heechul were then placed in Super Junior along with ten other trainees under
the same company. This project group managed through well, and they
debuted two years later in November 6, 2005 under the name Super Junior
05, the first generation of Super Junior.
In early 2006, SM Entertainment was beginning to recruit new members for
the next Super Junior generation, Super Junior 06, with Kang-in still as an
undergraduate member of Super Junior. However, plans changed when the
company added in a thirteenth member Kyuhyun, and the company declared
a halt in forming future Super Junior generations. The group dropped the
suffix "05" and became officially credited as Super Junior. The re-polished
group hit it big after they released their first CD single "U" the following
summer in 2006, which became Super Junior's most successful single in the
music charts until the release of "Sorry, Sorry" in March 2009.
During his career with Super Junior, Kang-in was put into two subgroups,
smaller groups that are branched off of the larger Super Junior group. In
February 2007, he was placed in the trot-singing Super Junior-T. A year later,
he became a member of Super Junior-Happy.
Television and acting career
Before debuting as a Super Junior member, Kangin goes by his birth name as
a stage name. He debuted as a host and an actor before being in Super
Junior 05. Active in television appearances and hosting, Kang-in earns the
highest salary in Super Junior. Five days after Super Junior 05's debut
performance, Kang-in became the MC of Mnet's M!Countdown along with
Leeteuk and Shindong. The trio stayed as the hosts throughout the
remaining year until Kang-in was replaced by Eunhyuk in mid 2006 due to his
busy schedule for hosting Reckless Radio and MBC's music program, Show!
Music Core. Kang-in also became the television host for two of MBC's popular
entertainment programs, Sunday Sunday Night Dong-An Club and Nothing is
Impossible. Holding a strong contract with MBC, Kang-in left Reckless Radio
in June 2007 to host MBC's Good Friend Radio with Cho Jungrin. In April 2008,
Cho's hosting spot was replaced by Taeyeon. Kang-in's last day of hosting
the program was on April 19, 2009. From December 2008 to May 2009,
Kang-in and actress Lee Yoon-ji played as a low-income college couple for
the popular MBC reality show We Got Married.
Kang-in made a brief cameo appearance in the 2002 SBS drama, A Man and
a Woman and in the 2006 MBC sitcom, Rainbow Romance as himself. In
2007, he made a guest appearance in the MBC drama Billie Jean, Look At Me.
Kang-in's silver-screen debut was in the Super Junior film Attack on the Pin-
Up Boys, premiered in summer 2007. In 2008, Kang-in was chosen to take
the role of 'Kang Soo' in the Korean language film, Hello Schoolgirl.
From September 9 to November 9, 2008, Kang-in, along with band mate
Heechul, debuted as musical actors through the musical, Xanadu. Xanadu
was a 1980's musical film starring Gene Kelly and Olivia Newton John.
Xanadu has also been reproduced to a Broadway musical. Heechul and Kang-
in, along with Choi Sungwon, performed the same character, Sonny,
according to their time slot, and auditions and casting picks will be chosen in
a process through reality television.
Kang-in was also casted to take the role of 'Hotae' for MBC's cable comedy
drama, Romance Zero. With a total of sixteen episodes, the drama ended in
late May 2009 with acceptable reviews and ratings.
Controversies
MBC conflict
A time-slot dispute occurred between SM Entertainment and MBC when SM
insisted to have Kang-in stay on SBS's Explorers of the Human Body instead
of MBC's Sunday Sunday Night Dong-An Club, in which Kang-in was a regular
host. MBC decided to temporarily ban Super Junior from appearing in any
future performances on MBC. Kang-in was replaced by T.O.P of Big Bang as
the MC of Show! Music Core. Kang-in could also no longer host MBC variety
shows Nothing is Impossible and Sunday Sunday Night Dong-An Club until
the conflict was resolved. MBC also demanded to receive an apology from
SM Entertainment if SM artists should continue to perform on shows hosted
by the channel. After Kang-in left Nothing is Impossible and Sunday Sunday
Night Dong-An Club, both shows cancelled due to low ratings, though Kang-
in's departure had nothing to do with this, as ratings were already low. Kang-
in's radio program with MBC, Good Friend Radio, however, continues to air
since it was not related to his work conflict. A week later, MBC announced
that they invited Super Junior to film an exclusive MBC segment, "Giving
Children a New Life" despite their previous decision to ban Super Junior. The
entertainment director for MBC claimed that the ban on Super Junior was
never official, but just a decision made by the programs' producers.
Assault case
On September 16, 2009, Kang-in was arrested for his involvement in a fight
between two men that took place outside of a bar in Nonhyeon-dong,
Gangnam-gu, Seoul. An eye-witness reported that two men entered a room
where Kang-in and his friend were present and began arguing heatedly.
Kang-in left the bar, but the two men followed him outside and began
displaying acts of violence. Another witness reported that Kang-in tried to
stop the fight. A nearby surveillance camera caught the brawl, and it was
immediately reported to the police. Kang-in was brought into interrogation to
aid investigation along with four other suspects. One of the suspects insisted
that Kang-in assaulted him, but it was later proven that Kang-in only reacted
for self-defense.
Kang-in was dropped from being the main model of Andre Kim's fashion
show as a result. After Kang-in's appearance in Super Junior's Super Show 2
concert in Hong Kong, all of Kang-in's future schedules became temporarily
postponed.
DUI
Shortly one month (October 16) after the assault incident Kangin was
involved in DUI plus a Hit and run incident. An intoxicated Kangin crashed his
car into a parked taxi at 3:10 AM at the junction of Nonhyun and Hakdong in
Gangnam and abandoned his car before fleeing the scene. Two passengers,
along with the cab driver, were hurt but received no serious injuries. At 8:50
AM (5 hours and 40 mins later) Kangin turned himself over to the police
station in Gangnam.
It was reported that Kangin's BAC level was 0.082%, a reading that was taken
6 hours after the incident, and therefore is an inaccurate reflection of his
intoxication at the time of the crash.
A representative from the police station stated:
"We can take into consideration the fact that Kangin has confessed, even
though it was some time after the incident. However, since he had fled the
scene after the accident, we have to consider it as a hit and run. We will
release more information in the afternoon."
SM responded saying, "We feel so bad about what has just happened with
Kangin. We want to apologize to everyone who feel disappointed about this.
We feel this is time for Kangin and us to think over what happened and try
our hardest to not let this happen again."
For the rest of the 2009 year, Kangin was on hiatus and did not participate in
any of Super Junior's activities.
It was announced on May 4 2010 that Kangin will be starting his army duty in
late October 2010. SM entertainment released a statement when the
comeback of Super Junior in May was announced ( excluding Kibum and
Hankyung ). He will not be participating in Super Junior's 4th album.
Filmography
Further information: Super Junior filmography
Film
Yea
Title Role Other notes
r
Attack on the Pin-Up
himself (Expert limited release in South
Boys
Judoist) Korea
꽃미남 연쇄 테러 사건
200
7
Alvin and the
Alvin Korean voice-over
Chipmunks
200 Hello Schoolgirl
Kang Sook
8 순정만화
Television series
Networ
Year Title Role Other notes
k
A Man and a Woman Cameo
2002 – SBS
비밀남녀 appearance
Rainbow Romance Guest star (Ep.
2006 himself MBC
레인보우 로망스 136)
Billie Jean, Look At Me
2007 Friend MBC Guest star (Ep. 26)
빌리진 날봐요
2008, We Got Married
himself MBC (Ep. 39-55)
2009 우리결혼했어요
Romance Zero Na Ho-tae
2009 MBC
하자 전담반 제로 나호태
Music video appearances
2007: "Flight Girl" – Magolpy
Hosting programs
Date Name Note
November 10, 2005–
Mnet M!Countdown with Leeteuk, Shindong
2006
2006–November 11,
MBC Sunday Dong-an Club
2007
2006–November 11,
MBC Nothing is Impossible
2007
January 7, 2008–April ComedyTV Unbelievable with Super Junior-Happy,
5, 2008 Outing Season 3 Donghae
July 5, 2007– with Brian (Fly to the
MBC Show! Music Core
November 11, 2007 Sky)
July 10, 2008–October
MBC Idol Show Season 1 with Super Junior-Happy
9, 2008
Radio host
Date Name Note
March 2, 2006–June 2,
Reckless Radio (천방지축 라디오) –
2007
April 30, 2007–2008
with Cho Jungrin
April 8, 2008–April 19, Good Friend Radio (친한친구 라디오)
with Taeyeon
2009
