DJ DOC Lee Ha-neul mentioned cutting ties with Kim Chang Youl, reigniting rumors of a rift. A close associate, however, said Lee Ha-neul is maintaining amicable relations with the DJ DOC members.
On the 14th, a close associate of Lee Ha-neul told OSEN regarding the 'cutting ties' rumor with Kim Chang Youl, "I don't think the DJ DOC members are in that kind of situation. I understand they are communicating with each other."
The conflict between the two flared after Lee Ha-neul's younger brother Lee Hyun-bae died of a heart condition on April 2021. At the time, Lee Ha-neul drew attention by claiming on live broadcasts and elsewhere that Kim Chang Youl was deeply connected to his brother's death. Lee Ha-neul, who left an abusive comment saying "you killed him" on a condolence post Kim Chang Youl uploaded, also said on a live broadcast, "Hyun-bae's accidental death was because of Kim Chang Youl," expressing his anger.
According to Lee Ha-neul, he and Lee Hyun-bae were preparing a guesthouse business at Kim Chang Youl's suggestion, but Kim Chang Youl suddenly said he could not pay the interior costs for profitability reasons. Lee Hyun-bae, who had even sold his home and joined the business, worked delivery part-time due to financial hardship, then suffered a traffic accident but, unable to afford proper tests, later died from complications, according to the claim.
After that, in 2023 Lee Ha-neul said on YouTube, "I think it's been nearly two years since Chang-yeol and I stopped contacting each other. I still contact and occasionally keep in touch with Jae-yong recently," and added, "As time passed I hated him like I wanted to kill him and thought of him as an enemy, but recently I've felt I should meet and talk a little rather than never seeing him for the rest of my life," indicating he was still in a cut-off state. In response, Kim Chang Youl told OSEN in a phone call, "I saw (Lee Ha-neul's remarks) through the articles. (But) I have no position," and avoided elaborating.
Meanwhile, in April 2024 Lee Ha-neul posted a video showing a warm embrace with Kim Chang Youl, announcing they had reconciled. Kim Chang Youl also showed affection by posting a photo of the complete DJ DOC with Lee Ha-neul and Jung Jae-yong. However, at the end of last year, Lee Ha-neul and Jung Jae-yong held a concert without Kim Chang Youl, which reignited the rift rumors.
Then on the 13th, Lee Ha-neul again mentioned cutting ties with Kim Chang Youl on his YouTube channel 'Lee Ha-neul's Byul-ui-Byul Mal,' fanning the flames. He explained, "When my brother (Lee Hyun-bae) passed away and I fell out with Chang-yeol, DJ DOC events stopped. The primary income disappeared and I was struggling, then with the spread of COVID-19 even the occasional events were all canceled."
He continued, "At that time, the reason I started internet broadcasting was that when DOC was active together we had contracts for a few concerts and received several hundred million won in advance. That was an advance payment, but since DOC did not perform, the company demanded the contracted money back. Suddenly we had to pay several hundred million won at once. It was about 200 million won, and they even said they'd publicize that they would collect the money if things went wrong. They said they'd sue to play it up in the media. If it reached that point, DOC might never get another chance, so I used the money I earned from internet broadcasting to settle it. Chang-yeol handled what was his, I handled what was mine. Jae-yong was in a bad situation then, so I guaranteed it and blocked it and endured for a year," he said.
He added, "After doing internet broadcasting, my thoughts and my feelings gradually changed. I let go long ago of the pride and notions I had been uselessly holding on to. I clarified what was important in my life and what was unnecessary. So I could let go a bit and do broadcasts and live like this. I contacted Jae-yong again saying 'let's live diligently. let's live well. I'll do well,' and we've been doing various things together. The current situation is much better compared to then," he added.
Although the rift rumors between Lee Ha-neul and Kim Chang Youl resurfaced, a close associate who knows Lee Ha-neul well said they are not in a cut-off state with Kim Chang Youl. The associate dismissed the rift rumors regarding Kim Chang Youl, saying, "It's just that there's no interaction (between the members); even if there wasn't during their active days, there is no reason now to be cutting ties. You can see they're simply supporting each other's individual circumstances."
Meanwhile, Lee Ha-neul currently operates a gopchang restaurant with Jung Jae-yong and communicates with the public through YouTube and other channels.<
[Photo] OSEN DB, SNS
[OSEN]