Ko Young-wook, a former member of the group Roo'Ra. [Herald Muse]
Ko Young-wook, a former member of the group Roo'Ra. [Herald Muse]

Ko Young-wook, a former member of the group Roo'Ra, shared a news article about Fin.K.L's upcoming full-group reunion and posted criticism of singers who revive their careers by trading on past fame.

On Sunday, Ko shared an article about Fin.K.L's reunion on his X (formerly Twitter) account and recalled turning down an appearance offer from the MBC variety show "Nol-leo-wa."

"Back when I was the only Roo'Ra member still doing broadcast work, I got an offer to appear in a special episode of MBC's 'Nol-leo-wa' featuring popular singers from the '90s," Ko wrote. "My manager told me Clone and R.ef were going to be on it, and I turned it down without a second thought."

He said the prospect of watching performers "show off their past popularity on TV, bragging about how big they were — stories about flying to gigs by helicopter, told over and over again" was something he found instinctively off-putting. "The public is the one who decides how popular you were back then," he added.

Ko went on to say he preferred performers from that era who "don't get caught up in that kind of thing, leave their best days as a memory, and live their lives in a way that fits the present" — rather than those who "keep rehashing the past and find any excuse to get back out there."

He also wrote that whenever he comes across old footage of Roo'Ra performing at events, he feels "genuinely relieved" not to be part of it.

Fin.K.L's agency Gemstone E&M announced on Sept. 21 that all four members — Lee Hyo-ri, Ok Ju-hyun, Lee Jin and Sung Yu-ri — were reuniting under the Fin.K.L name to prepare for full-group activities. It will be the first time the group has promoted as a complete unit since the 2005 digital single "Forever Fin.K.L," a gap of 21 years.

Ko has been posting frequently on X about celebrity and social issues. This month alone, he claimed broadcaster Yoo Jae-suk had not sent traditional holiday beef to a manager who worked with him for 16 years, and he also criticized Chun Myung-hun, who had been sued over allegations that he presented another composer's work as his own.

Ko debuted as a member of Roo'Ra in 1994. In 2013, the Supreme Court upheld a sentence of two years and six months in prison on charges of sexually assaulting and molesting minors. He was also ordered to have his personal information disclosed for five years and to wear an electronic ankle bracelet for three years.


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