Ex-CNBLUE Lee Jong-hyun returns to social media
Lee Jong-hyun, former member of K-pop group CNBLUE, has returned to social media after years away, sharing an update on his life and career outside the entertainment industry.
Lee, now 36, posted photos on Instagram on Aug. 10, his first post since 2019.
“I have left this account vacant for 8 years. My account was hacked, and I have currently requested that my ID and profile be updated. I spent a few years turning my back on the world,” he wrote.
Lee said he spent the past several years working in beauty marketing.
“Although it is a small job, for the past eight years, I have been working professionally in beauty marketing, finding enjoyment in it,” he said.
He described his routine as attending meetings, unboxing products and thinking about how he could improve his work.
“I leave in the morning and come back at night. I have come to realize just how difficult it is to live a normal life while working. I think everyone is truly amazing,” he wrote.
“From now on, as the human being Lee Jong-hyun, I will live my life communicating with more people. Have a happy day!” he added.
Lee stepped away from the entertainment industry after a series of controversies in 2019.
He left CNBLUE in August that year after Korean YouTuber Park Min-jung posted screenshots of messages he had sent her, including comments about her appearance. Lee apologized and announced his withdrawal from the group, saying he was “ashamed and embarrassed” to disappoint fans.
The incident came after Lee was also named in the wider “KakaoTalkgate” scandal involving retired singer Jung Joon-young. Korean media published sexually explicit conversations between the two, including messages in which Lee asked Jung to introduce him to women.
Jung was later convicted of sexual crimes and served a five-year prison sentence.
