Musical career
Kangin was scouted by a talent agent and was recommended to sign up for SM Entertainment's talent competitions. In 2002, Kangin 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. Kangin 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 on 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 Kangin still as an undergraduate member of Super Junior. However, plans changed following the rising popularity of the group 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, Kangin was put into two subgroups, smaller groups that is 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 went by his birth name as a stage name. He debuted as a host and an actor before being in Super Junior 05. After debut with Super Junior, kangin became a regular in MBC variety show for celebrity named 'Image Survival' till February 2006. In 2006, Kangin also frequently acts as MC for SM artists such as DBSK and Boa fanmeeting and MC for EBS TV channel. In 2006 and 2007, he also goes on many variety show as guest and sometimes as a regular for a short time such as Love Triangle, KBS Star King, KBS vitamin and MBC driving school with leetuk as regular. Active in television appearances and hosting, Kangin earns the highest salary in Super Junior.
Five days after Super Junior 05's debut performance, Kangin became the MC of Mnet's M!Countdown along with Leeteuk and Shindong. The trio stayed as the hosts throughout the remaining year until Kangin was replaced by Eunhyuk in mid 2006 due to his busy schedule for hosting EBS Reckless Radio and MBC's music program, Show! Music Core. Kangin also became the television host for two of MBC's popular entertainment programs, Sunday Sunday Night Dong-An Club and Nothing is Impossible. For Mnet channel, Kangin starred in 'Band of Brothers 2008' with Heechul, Jay and Jungmo. For MTV channel, in 2008 kangin was a MC for 'Class Up'. In 2008, Kangin was one of 4 MCs for SBS 'Change' variety show. From December 2008 to May 2009, Kangin and actress Lee Yoon-ji played as a low-income college couple for the popular MBC reality show We Got Married. This was the first MBC variety show kangin did as a regular after the crisis between MBC variety show producer and SM company regarding Kangin job as host in SBS Super Junior Exploration of Human Body in 2007.In 2009, Kangin with other few Super Junior members hosts television show for charity named 'Miracle' but kangin was withheld from all his activities after his DUI case.
Holding a strong contract with MBC radio, Kangin 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. Kangin's last day of hosting the program was on April 19, 2009.
Kangin 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. Kangin's silver-screen debut was in the Super Junior film Attack on the Pin-Up Boys, premiered in summer 2007. In 2008, Kangin was chosen to take the role of 'Kang Soo' in the Korean language film, Hello, Schoolgirl.
From September 9 to November 9, 2008, Kangin, along with band mate Heechul, debuted as musical actors through the musical, Xanadu. Xanadu was a 1980's musical film starring Gene Kelly andOlivia Newton John. Xanadu has also been reproduced to a Broadway musical. Heechul and Kangin, 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.
Kangin was also cast 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 Kangin stay on SBS's Explorers of the Human Body instead of MBC's Sunday Sunday Night Dong-An Club, in which Kangin was a regular host. MBC decided to temporarily ban Super Junior from appearing in any future performances on MBC. Kangin was replaced by T.O.P of Big Bang as the MC of Show! Music Core.[8] Kangin 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 Kangin left Nothing is Impossible and Sunday Sunday Night Dong-An Club, both shows cancelled due to low ratings, though Kangin's departure had nothing to do with this, as ratings were already low. Kangin'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, Kangin 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 Kangin and his friend were present and began arguing heatedly.[ Kangin left the bar, but the two men followed him outside and began displaying acts of violence. Another witness reported that Kangin tried to stop the fight. A nearby surveillance camera caught the brawl, and it was immediately reported to the police. Kangin was brought into interrogation to aid investigation along with four other suspects. One of the suspects insisted that Kangin assaulted him, but it was later proven that Kangin only reacted for self-defense.
Kangin was dropped from being the main model of Andre Kim's fashion show as a result. After Kangin's appearance in Super Junior's Super Show 2 concert in Hong Kong, all of Kangin's future schedules became temporarily postponed.
DUI Hit-and-Run
On October 16, 2009 around 3am, an intoxicated Kangin crashed into a parked taxi that held three passengers and left the scene of the accident. Six hours later, Kangin turned himself in to the police. He was recorded to have a blood alcohol content of 0.082% after he turned himself in. The accident was recorded as being a hit-and-run despite Kangin turning himself in later. He failed to show up in the afternoon for further investigation and had to be called in the following day.
SM Entertainment and Kangin released an official public apology shortly after. All of Kangin's activities were canceled by SM Entertainment until the end of the year due to Kangin's actions. A month later Kangin made an appearance in a new clothing company, SPAO's website. Netizens were enraged due to SM Entertainment's declaration of the suspension of Kangin's activities. It was later found out that the photos were taken prior to Kangin's DUI accident. Kangin was charged and fined 8,000,000 won (approximately $8,000 USD).
Filmography
Film
| Year | Title | Role | Other notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2007 | Attack on the Pin-Up Boys 꽃미남 연쇄 테러 사건 | himself (Expert Judoist) | limited release in South Korea |
| Alvin and the Chipmunks | Alvin | Korean voice-over | |
| 2008 | Hello, Schoolgirl 순정만화 | Kang Sook |
Television series
| Year | Title | Role | Network | Other notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2002 | A Man and a Woman 비밀남녀 | – | SBS | Cameo appearance |
| 2006 | Rainbow Romance 레인보우 로망스 | himself | MBC | Guest star (Ep. 136) |
| 2007 | Billie Jean, Look At Me 빌리진 날봐요 | Friend | MBC | Guest star (Ep. 26) |
| 2008, 2009 | We Got Married 우리결혼했어요 | himself | MBC | (Ep. 39-55) |
| 2009 | Romance Zero 하자 전담반 제로 | Na Ho-tae 나호태 | MBC |
Music video appearances
- 2007: "Flight Girl" – Magolpy
Hosting programs
| Date | Name | Note |
| November 10, 2005–2006 | Mnet M!Countdown | with Leeteuk, Shindong |
| 2006–November 11, 2007 | MBC Sunday Dong-an Club | |
| 2006–November 11, 2007 | MBC Nothing is Impossible | |
| January 7, 2008–April 5, 2008 | ComedyTV Unbelievable Outing Season 3 | with Super Junior-Happy, Donghae |
| July 5, 2007–November 11, 2007 | MBC Show! Music Core | with Brian (Fly to the Sky) |
| July 10, 2008–October 9, 2008 | MBC Idol Show Season 1 | with Super Junior-H |
| 2009 | KBS Miracle | with Super Junior-H |
Radio host
| Date | Name | Note |
| March 2, 2006–June 2, 2007 | Reckless Radio (천방지축 라디오) | – |
| April 30, 2007–2008 April 8, 2008–April 19, 2009 | Good Friend Radio (친한친구 라디오) | with Cho Jungrin with Taeyeon |
Awards
(2007)
- Korean Movie Awards: Best Actor for Attack on the Pin-Up Boys - nominated
- Korean Movie Awards: Best New Actor for Attack on the Pin-Up Boys - nominated
- Korean Movie Awards: Best Action Performance for Attack on the Pin-Up Boys - nominated
(2008)
- MBC Entertainment Awards: Best DJ for Chin Chin Radio - Won
