On Wednesday, March 17, Super Junior's agency, Label SJ, released an official statement regarding Heechul's status in the group.
"Heechul may not be able to perform along with his co-members on stage, but would still be participating in the group's albums and other activities. Due to the misunderstandings that happened in talk shows, Let us clarify that Heechul is still a member of Super Junior," the label said before concluding it with gratitude.
via GIPHY
On March 16, in the latest episode of JTBC's 7.7 Million Love, emcees and panelists are discussing a story of a foreign man who appears to be asking his Korean girlfriend to leave him because he was diagnosed with a rare disease.
Heechul had the chance to share his story when he got involved in a car accident in 2016. He recounted, "It was 14 years ago, I got involved in a severe car accident and my left leg was completely broken. From that moment, I could not use it to even run but still managed to be on stage and perform during concerts."
He went on, "Years passed and my left leg really bothered me so much that I even went to the hospital to get it checked up again. They told me that if I keep on forcing myself to use this leg despite the injury, I might not be able to use this leg any more in the future."
Heechul stated that he even talked about this to his Super Junior co-members to let them know what's been going on with him and his leg.
"I talked about this matter to my co-members. Just like the story of the foreign man, I just told them that my life as a Korean Idol who dances and performs on stage is done. My co-member told me that it is fine that it did not really matter to them. 'Who cares if you are not performing with us on stage, let us all keep going as a group until the end'," he narrated.
"I am very grateful to have them as my brothers but I don't want to concern them so much, So I decided to stop here and just do my best in other areas that could help us as a group. In this case, It's like I chose to break up," he added.
via GIPHY
Because of Heechul's story and the fan's reaction to his statement, this made their label clarify that he did not leave Super Junior but chose to do what's best for his health and do other things that could help the promotion of their group.
On August 30, 2019, it was reported that Super Junior will embark on a world tour. However, the label announced that Heechul will not be participating due to his recovering leg.
"Hello, This is Label SJ
We would like to share with all of you that Super Junior's ninth album is set to be released in the second half of this year, and their "Super Show 8" will take place at the Olympic Stadium in Seoul, Korea from October 12-13.
However, Kim Heechul will not be participating in the "Super Show 8" but rest assured that all of the members will be present during the time of the event. It is after Kim Heechul's left leg condition worsened that made him decide not to perform at the show.
But expect that Heechul will be participating in the variety show and will be included at the content of their ninth album.
It is with a heavy heart for Kim Heechul to not perform on stage because of his leg condition, please understand our decision.
Thank you."
