Heechul leaves ‘Knowing Bros’ after 11 years, cites tour clashes; credits Kang Ho Dong
Heechul said he left Knowing Bros after 11 years because Super Junior’s 20th anniversary tour caused scheduling conflicts, and credited Kang Ho Dong for changing his broadcasting mindset.
The comments came in a video titled “The universe star Kim Heechul, who almost became the first idol to participate in a control diss battle” on the YouTube channel ‘Egennam Swings.’
Heechul explained why he stopped appearing on the show:
“‘Knowing Bros’ records every Thursday. Last year, while Super Junior was holding their 20th anniversary tour, our concerts were usually held on Fridays, Saturdays, and Sundays. Because of that, there were times when I had to miss ‘Knowing Bros’ recordings on Thursdays, or the team had to record twice because of me.”
Heechul also named Kang Ho Dong when asked about the real reason behind his departure and described the senior entertainer’s approach to viewers:
“Ho Dong hyung’s mindset has always been that viewers come first. He is someone who believes that whether I’m tired, have a broken leg, or have a cold, the most important thing is maintaining trust with the viewers.”
Heechul said his own attitude toward broadcasting shifted after meeting Kang Ho Dong:
“After meeting Ho Dong hyung, my own mindset about broadcasting changed a lot.”
Heechul repeated a saying he often heard from Kang Ho Dong:
“When it’s 4 AM, everyone starts getting sleepy, but Ho Dong hyung says, ‘No. It’s 4 AM for us, but for the viewers, it’s 6 PM.'”
“After hearing that, I realized he was absolutely right.”
Heechul also spoke about Super Junior’s early earnings when Jang Ji Soo pressed him on group splits.
Jang Ji Soo asked:
“Was it divided into 13 parts? That must have been really difficult,”
Heechul replied:
“Back then, honestly, every time we appeared on broadcasts, we were actually losing money. We didn’t earn more than other groups, but we did make enough to live on.”