K-pop Idol Saves Grandfather from North Korea

H.O.T., a group that debuted in 1996 and opened the door to Korean idol culture, is often referred to as the icon of pop culture in the 90s. After dominating the Korean music scene, they also captured the Chinese-speaking market marking the beginning of the Hallyu wave.

Lee Jae-won the youngest member of the team continued his solo activities with JTL. Since 2020, he has been running a cosmetics business and continues to be active in broadcasting.

Recently, following his former team member Jang Woo-hyuk, Lee Jae-won has appeared on the ENA entertainment program “_Hyojason 2_”. Recently, Lee Jae-won treated his father to dinner and had a deep conversation.

Lee Jae-won’s father while having dinner with his son, expressed his happiness saying that the food tasted good. He then confessed, “I’m so sorry that I couldn’t do well for my son like other parents.”

Lee Jae-won’s father had to say goodbye to his father at the young age of 3. His grandfather was drafted into the North Korean army due to the Korean War. Even after the war, he was unable to return to South Korea leaving them as a separated family.

Although he was able to contact his father later, Lee Jae-won’s father had no choice but to worry about the high required cost to escape North Korea. In response, Lee Jae-won strongly argued that his grandfather should be brought to South Korea.

Lee Jae-won brought his grandfather to South Korea using the money he earned from his activities with H.O.T., and thanks to this, his father and grandfather were able to reunite as a family after 52 years. His grandfather passed away about ten years after meeting his family.

Meanwhile, Lee Jae-won delighted fans by revealing a photo of the complete H.O.T. members gathered in early May. On the 23rd, he shared the good news that he won a trademark infringement lawsuit against the former CEO of SM which lasted for over five years and regained the name H.O.T.

By. Ji Ho Yoo