Former SPEED Member Tae Woon Gets Brutally Honest About Having To Bear The “Former Idol” Label

Former SPEED and Coed School member Choi Sung Min recently started his own YouTube channel titled Singosik – The return of idols with former A-Jax member Moon Ji Hoo. The channel was created with the hopes of having forgotten idols, whether past or current, come on the show to discuss their lives.

On the first episode of the show, two former boy group members were featured— two former SPEED members Woo Tae Woon and IONE. After a brief introduction of both guests, they dove into the backstories of some of their performances. It was during this time that they touched on the sensitive topic of their former member’s criminal history.

Oh look, it’s the criminal. Is he currently in jail or is he out? He’s been going in and out of there for awhile now.

— Choi Sung Min

Former Coed School member Cha Joo Hyuk, who went by his stage name Kangho at the time, has been arrested with drug-related numerous times in his adult life. Having served a prison sentence various times, it seems that his former members could finally talk about it several years later.

Following that topic of their former member, came the topic all the viewers had been hoping to hear—and it was regarding their former idol group.

Producer Jae: “Would you ever go back in time to those [idol] days?”
Woo Tae Woon: “Nope.”
Choi Sung Min: “That was kind of harsh, no?”
Woo Tae Woon: “So you’re telling me you would want to go back to your Coed School days?”
Choi Sung Min: “….no.”

Woo Tae Woon then touched on the image and label of being a “former idol” and his honest thoughts on the subject.

I think that’s [former idol label] something that I will have to carry for the rest of my life. It was bad then, it’s bad now, and it will be bad in the future. I hate it but I can’t do anything about it. People may say it’s not true, but they all hold a perceived judgement.

But what’s wrong with being a former idol member in the past? It’s a fact. I was a former idol member in the past, I am currently a former idol member and I will always be a former idol. I don’t understand why people always have to comment on it though.

— Woo Tae Woon

Wow, what an honest confession made by Woo Tae Woon. We appreciate his sincerity and his vulnerability on the subject. You can watch the entire Singosik – The return of idols episode down below!