Urban Zakapa’s Kwon Sun Il has opened up about his past as a trainee at SM Entertainment, and it turns out he was very close to becoming a member of Super Junior!
On the January 4th episode of MBC's Knowing Bros, Kwon Sun Il shared a special behind-the-scenes look at his trainee life.
The episode aired a clip from Urban Zakapa’s 15th-anniversary concert, where Kwon Sun Il was joined by his family members, including his mother and two sisters.
During a heartwarming moment in the waiting room before the concert, Kwon Sun Il’s mother opened up about how she initially wasn’t supportive of his dreams to pursue a career in music.
She explained, “His second sister applied for the SM selection contest, and that’s how Kwon Sun Il became a trainee. He worked so hard, but I wasn’t sure if it was the right path for him. He was good at studying too, so I told him to quit and focus on studying for university.”
She continued, “But when he met Park Yong In in high school, I started to worry. What if he doesn’t go to college? What if he can’t make it in music? That’s when I became more concerned because he really liked Park Yong In.”
Kwon Sun Il shared a laugh with his fellow guests when a past photo of Park Yong In was shown, revealing that he didn’t exactly look like the model student he was often thought to be.
The singer then took a walk down memory lane, revealing how he became a trainee at SM Entertainment.
“It was the first SM Youth Selection Contest. I applied and made it to the finals, where I won an award in the singing category”, Kwon Sun Il recalled.
“Yunho hyung won the dance category, and Super Junior’s Sungmin hyung won an award for his looks. We were in the same group, and I became a trainee in 2001.”
When asked by Jeon Hyun Moo if he almost became part of Super Junior, Kwon Sun Il confirmed, “Yes, because back then, TVXQ, Super Junior, and Girls’ Generation were all trainees together.”
However, Park Yong In humorously disagreed, saying, “It wasn’t that group; it would have been a new group focused on singing,” which caused everyone to laugh.
Kwon Sun Il's journey from SM trainee to Urban Zakapa member proves that sometimes, fate has its own plan!
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