Actor and singer Lee Joon will be leaving the group MBLAQ when his contract ends in November. He will no longer be represented by the agency that he trained under, J.Tune Entertainment.
J.Tune Entertainment released a statement about Lee Joon's wishes but stressed that he would participate in the MBLAQ concerts scheduled for November 29th and 30th. Beyond that the final details of his departure have not been decided.
"We will take into consideration the other members' wishes and thoughts along with the agency's decisions to come to an official conclusion," said the J.Tune representative. 'Our agency will be working hard to make the best decisions for MBLAQ."
According to the Star News, Lee Joon is quitting the group to focus on his acting career.
Lee Joon actually began acting before he joined MBLAQ. He acted in commercials, had a small role the 2008 sitcom "That Person is Coming," and also had a role in the 2009 film "Ninja Assassin." After joining MBLAQ, he appeared in the TV shows "Star Golden Bell Season 2" and "Oh My School".
He served as an emcee for Mnet's M! Countdown, then was cast in the dramas "Jungle Fish 2" and "Housewife Kim Kwang Ja's Third Activity in 2010. He dubbed a role for the Korean version of "Gnomeo & Juliet."
But it's only in the last year that he has been thought of as primarily an actor. He made an impression with and won his first film award for his role in the Kim Ki Duk film "Rough Play. In "Rough Play," he played an actor who becomes a superstar overnight but burns out almost as quickly. After hitting rock bottom, he must struggle to recover his life.
After "Rough Play," Lee Joon went on to play Ryu Tae Oh, an inmate of a psychiatric hospital in the tvN thriller "Gapdong." His drama character was a genius and a psychopath.
His next role will be playing Choi Dae Han in the upcoming drama "Mr. Baek," which co-stars Jang Nara and Shin Ha Kyun. Lee Joon will play Shin Ha Kyun's son.
Before J.Tune Camp released the statement about Lee Joon's departure, it was also announced that another MBLAQ member Thunder would withdraw from the group when his contract ended. J.Tune Camp has not officially responded to the news of Thunder's departure.
Thunder a.k.a. Park Sang Hyun, is the brother of 2NE1's Sandara Park. He's had a few drama roles too, most recently playing Jin in the comedy "Nail Shop Paris."
