Park Yoochun to Release New Album Despite Past Controversies

Former TVXQ and JYJ member Park Yoochun has announced his plans to return to the music industry with a new album.

Park Yoochun first announced his return to the industry with a photobook and an online fan meeting. In January 2020, he had even went to Thailand for a charity fundraising fan meeting. Now, it seems he wants to perform on stage again as he announces that he will be releasing a new album. He will also be holding a solo fan sign and mini concert. He shared the news to Instagram, with a caption that reads:

"Hello.

We come to share some good news for fans who have been waiting a long time for Park Yoochun's album. We are in the middle of preparing to release his new album and we will soon be able to greet everyone with a good album.

We will also be holding a solo fan sign and mini concert, so we ask for everyone's interest and love. You will be able to check out the specific details on "The Number Nine" with the info listed below."

The album is planned to be released in other Asian countries except Korea, as they are still in discussions to see if it will be possible to have it released in the country. Park Yoochun's representative said,

"We will be releasing the album to other Asian countries aside from Korea, such as Thailand and Japan. We are currently in discussions if we will be releasing it in Korea as well. We are still checking to see if it would be possible."

It will be difficult to release the album in Korea, however, due to the gravity of his past scandals and the amount of negative press he received from it. He had a slew of scandals regarding sexual assault, negligence, and drug use. He was also suspected of destroying evidence during the drug investigation by shaving hair from his body.

Back in 2019, Park Yoochun had announced through his representative agency C-JeS Entertainment that he would be terminating his contract and retiring from the entertainment industry. Despite his past statements, he announced in May that he will be redacting any plans to retire and instead will be continuing to seek forgiveness from the public. He said:

"I want to apologize to the public. I want to find time to ask for people's forgiveness. But that required courage. I couldn't gather that courage and have been debating a lot about it. [...] It was an extreme decision. Back then, I was confused and lost to the point that I don't recall what made me say those certain things. I wasn't in my right mind to make decisions then."

He has stated that he doesn't think his return to the industry is a mistake. He said that no matter how difficult it is, he will try to change the public's negative opinion of him despite knowing how long it will take and how ridiculous it may seem that he's asking for forgiveness.

What do you think of Park Yoochun's return to the entertainment industry?