On March 16th KST, an exclusive interview with former MONSTA X member Wonho went live, revealing the idol’s thoughts and apologies over the controversy that led him to leave his group.
In the fall of 2019, someone publicly accused him of using drugs back in 2013, as well as having unpaid debt and being in trouble with the law when he was younger. The accusations led to a police investigation, but on March 10th, the police officially closed the five-month long investigation as they found no evidence of drug use or suspicious behavior or activity. The accuser— who had once hoped to be a celebrity as well— also made allegations against other current celebrities, including accusations of drug use. To read the full details about Wonho’s case and how he was cleared of these charges, click here.
Wonho talked about a troubled childhood, marked by poverty and torment from bullies who made fun of him for being poor. Home was no escape for him as his parents constantly fought over financial troubles, so it led him to seek things elsewhere, eventually finding it in the streets. He met an older man with a notorious reputation, and Wonho’s connection with him scared away his tormentors.
The idol stopped being an outcast, but he remained cynical towards life. His troubled household continued to be a source of distress and he again sought out a new group of people. They later fell into disreputable things, and his friends eventually went to juvenile detention for special theft and Wonho received probation.
He met his accuser, Jung Dae Un, in high school. They became close friends and went on modeling jobs together, mentioning that this person had supported his ambition to become a singer.
He felt that life was taking a turn when he reached his twenties and found a dream he wanted to pursue. Training to become an idol gave him hope and purpose, it gave him
In October of 2019, Wonho decided to leave MONSTA X after his past mistakes were brought up. The group had been working hard on their new album at this point, so he admitted that he had hated the thought of bringing the rest of the members down with him. Due to that reason, he felt that the best option to protect them was to leave MONSTA X.
He did not offer excuses for most of the accusations made against him. Instead, he simply admitted that he had made his mistakes in his youth and deeply regretted them. However, he strongly denied the allegations of drug use.
Wonho expressed utmost gratitude to their fans, known as Monbebe, for making him feel loved and for helping to change him into a better person. He also revealed in the interview that he wants to live a good life every day. He wants to repay the warmth he has received by not letting everyone down and return the love he was given.
Wonho wrapped up the interview with an apology for leaving the way he did and for the ensuing pain it had caused. He again claimed responsibility for his past actions and shared his desire to ease the pain his past has caused. Inf act, the interview was held in February, well before the charges were officially dropped. However, Wonho had conviction the truth would come out when he stated to the person interviewing him, “I did not smoke marijuana. The investigation is currently underway. When my innocence is proven, please reveal my story. I want to apologize, and I want to clear up these misunderstandings. I want to ask for forgiveness.”
On March 14th KST, after the police investigation regarding his case was formally ended, Starship Entertainment announced that Wonho was officially cleared of all charges and that they would support him in whatever he wants to do in the future.
Katherine has been an ELF since 2010. She reads just about anything and is raising
MEDIA: Starship Entertainment