Before BoA, an injury derails a Japan debut and redirects 'Forever'

The connection between his injury-stalled Japan debut and 'Forever'

Singer Kim Jung-min reminisced about a past where he was on the verge of debuting in Japan even before BoA, only to have to abandon that dream due to a sudden injury. Appearing on the 'Now Wipe Away the Tears' special of MBC's 'Radio Star' airing on the 22nd, Kim Jung-min recalled those intense moments from 30 years ago.

At the time, Kim Jung-min was on the cusp of his debut, with a Japanese production company, agency, and even specific works already finalized. However, an unexpected accident resulted in an arm injury that caused a gap of about one year, causing all plans for his Japanese expansion to fall through.

In the process, the song 'Forever,' which had been selected as his Japanese debut track, was released to the world through the voice of the late Choi Jin-young. Kim Jung-min shared the behind-the-scenes story that because he was unable to promote due to his injury, he yielded the song to the late Choi Jin-young, who shared the same office at the time and had desperately wanted the track. Later, to commemorate his 30th anniversary, Kim Jung-min officially released a Kim Jung-min version of 'Forever' to honor the memory of the late Choi Jin-young.

The recording accident hidden behind the birth of 'Sad Covenant'

The process behind the creation of his signature song, 'Sad Covenant,' was also revealed for the first time in 30 years. Originally titled 'For Our Love,' Kim Jung-min worked on the mixing until the early morning of his first broadcast to ensure he could deliver a perfect stage.

However, an unexpected accident occurred where the final recording files were completely lost. Standing before the microphone with a mindset of 'this is my last chance' despite being completely unprepared, he instead encountered news articles the following day announcing the birth of a 'major live singer,' becoming the protagonist of a mega-hit.

The struggles of a 'goose father' and the growth of his three sons

Beyond his life as a singer, he shared his daily life as a 'goose father' who has been traveling between Korea and Japan for three years. He spoke of the hardships of boarding a plane several times a month to visit his family staying in Japan. He shared a story of shedding tears on a flight back to Korea alone following a single comment from his wife, Rumiko, and provided updates on his three sons: the second son, who is nurturing dreams of becoming a soccer player in Japan; the eldest, who is studying applied music; and the youngest, who has adapted well to life in Japan.