On March 20, a video titled “Does Jong Kook ignore me now that he’s successful?” was uploaded to the YouTube channel Life Is Nothing Special. In the video, Kim Jung Nam shared various stories from his past.
When asked what Kim Jong Kook meant to him, Kim Jung Nam began, “Did you know that Jong Kook wasn’t originally the first member to sing Turbo’s songs? There was another vocalist before him, but he ran away. So Jong Kook ended up taking over the vocals. Those who know, know.”
He continued, “You know the group Indigo? There was a member named Kwak Seung Nam who was originally supposed to be Turbo’s vocalist. But after about eight months of preparation, he couldn’t handle it and left. That’s how Indigo came to be. I needed someone who could sing fast like Jong Kook, and that’s how I found him.”
Kim Jung Nam added, “Some people think opportunities just come and you should use them well. But if you can’t treat others sincerely and make them your people, you shouldn’t think that way. I was only 23 or 24—how could I think like that? So when the other member said he wanted to leave, I just told him, ‘Okay, go if you want.’ That’s how I eventually met Jong Kook through people around me.”
He reflected, “That actually became a better opportunity for me. If I had reacted badly back then and quit everything, I would never have met Jong Kook. I was desperate to find someone to sing with me. I was confident in dancing and rapping, but not in singing, so I really wanted someone who could sing well.”
Kim Jung Nam revealed, “I found Jong Kook within a month through connections. To me, Jong Kook is like a younger brother who’s even better than an older one—that’s the best way to describe it. If he had gone solo and become successful and started acting arrogant, I wouldn’t have stayed close to him. But he’s not like that at all. When we meet, he hugs me and says, ‘Hyung, I’ll help you with whatever you want.’ After ‘Infinite Challenge – TOTOGA’, when we released an album, Jong Kook paid for everything himself.”
He continued, “Just the music video alone cost over 300 million won, all paid out of Jong Kook’s own pocket. People don’t know this—they probably think a company covered it, but it was all him. It must have cost even more than that. Of course, I was deeply moved. Now I even told my company that anything related to Jong Kook should be decided by him.”
Kim Jung Nam emphasized, “When I work alone, I do my best. But when it comes to Turbo, especially anything involving Jong Kook, I follow his decisions completely. That’s part of my contract. It’s about respect. Jong Kook has been active in broadcasting for over 30 years, while I only promoted for about eight months. I debuted in August 1995 and promoted until December, then took a break to prepare the second album before an incident happened. People don’t realize I was only active for eight months.”
Meanwhile, Kim Jong Kook reportedly held a private wedding ceremony in Seoul last September. The ceremony was conducted in secrecy, and aside from the fact that his bride is a non-celebrity, no further details have been revealed.
Sources: newsen
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