Years after Jae left Day6, some K-pop fans still have questions about the musician's departure.
Day6 has been active since 2015, pumping out pop-rock hits for fans both in and out of Korea. In the near decade, since their formation, Day6 has released four full-length albums and embarked on the same number of worldwide headlining tours.
The band consists of four current members: Sungjin, Young K, Wonpil, and Dowoon, with former bandmates Jae and Junhyeok having left at different points over the last nine years.
Jae's Day6 Exit Explained
As Day6 continues its worldwide "Forever Young" headlining tour, the question of why former band member Jae left the group has started to come up in conversation again.
Jae (aka Park Jae-hyung) left the K-pop group on December 31, 2021, following in the footsteps of fellow former Day6 member Junhyeok, who exited the band more than a half-decade earlier.
The announcement came from Jae himself, as he noted in a statement on X (formerly Twitter) that he was "[taking] a break from Day6 activities for a while:"
"I'm so grateful that we've been so happy for the past 6 years and have made memories that will last a lifetime...I've thought about it a lot and put in a lot of effort, but I feel like I'm still lacking in many areas for me to stay here. After discussion with the company, we have come to the conclusion that I will have to take a break from Day6 activities for a while."
At the time, the Korean-American musician made it sound like this move would be temporary, positing that he was planning on "[coming] back as a more developed member" of the group:
"I will come back as a more developed member, cherishing the six years of sweating and running together, and the happy memories that brought me to tears."
Day6 label JYP Entertainment would follow this post from Jae up with a statement of its own, telling fans that Jae had "decided to leave the team and terminate his exclusive contract" for "personal reasons," but would not explain any further than that (via YNA):
"Jay, who has been with us as a member of DAY6 until now, has decided to leave the team and terminate his exclusive contract as of December 31, 2021 due to personal reasons...We have had long and in-depth conversations with Jay, and after careful discussion, we have decided to finalize the exclusive contract in respect of the artist's opinion."
In a November 2021 interview with the Offline TV Podcast, the former Day6 member (who was still in the group at the time), alluded to how his time in the band was impacting his mental health. While not an outright confirmation of why he left the group, it may have played a part.
Since leaving the band, Jae has not shied away from discussing their music. He revealed in a conversation with IDN Times (via X) that he still talking to his former bandmates from time to time, but has not commented on returning at any point.
While appearing on The Zach Sang Show in September 2024, Jae gave fans the most forthcoming answer about his departure yet.
The former Day6 member, who grew up in the U.S. before becoming a K-pop star thanks to an appearance on the reality K-pop Star, said that he thinks he "always conflicted with cultural differences" living in Korea, and that played into it:
"I think I was always conflicted with cultural differences, mostly on a morality scale for me, because for example, something that is widely understood is that in America you are taught to question everything and be a rebel. You make your dreams happen. It is all about you. I know that is worded very poorly, but I am going to be as general as I can. Then Korea is very much about the team and being together and taking responsibility together."
He specifically pointed to the Korean mentality of doing everything together and focusing on the collective rather than the individual.
One example he gave was "when [he] first got there," there was an instance of one person in the band going through some public controversy, forcing the label to hold their release for months at a time:
"Even a small example of when I first got there, was one person would do something bad and we were put on hold for six months, and I was like, 'Why us? I did not do anything.' I think I am slowly starting to understand why that happens and why that works the way it does. I think it makes sense."
This was hard to come to terms with for someone who had largely grown up in American society, but admitted that he "should have been there to help that person make the better choice:"
"I think the morality there is it is now all about you. It is about us. It is a collective. And if one person messes up, then it is everyone messing up, and we should have been there to help that person make the better choice, but we were not. Therefore, we are collectively being punished together."
Despite this cultural shift for Jae, he still thinks other factors played into his split from the band, calling out "friction between [him] and the label:"
"I left because of various other reasons. I think it is very public knowledge that for a long time there was alot discrepancy and alot of friction between me and the label."
When asked if he regrets leaving Day6 at all, Jae remarked, "I think at some points, yes," but has come to terms with it as the years have gone on:
"I think at some points, yes, but I think it took me awhile to understand. After living in Korea for so long, I got so used to that culture that I kind of forgot ideals and beliefs that I had before. In the beginning, when everything went down, I think there was a piece of me that said, 'Maybe you should not have left,' but now that I have come back and fully assimilated and gotten to relearn myself, I think that was the correct choice."
Jae is currently working on solo projects under the stage name eaJ, and his music can be found on all major streaming platforms.
Elsewhere in the K-pop world, Korean singer-songwriter HyunA has found herself in a scandal related to the Burning Sun controversy.
