Jung Yong-hwa Recalls Being Taken to Police Station During Street Busking in Japan

On May 1, the YouTube channel Jung Yong-hwa’s LP Room featured DAY6’s Young K as a guest. The two musicians, both from band groups, shared stories about their experiences with street busking.

Jung Yong-hwa recounted, “We didn’t do street performances in Korea but did in Japan. We started in Shinjuku, but there were too few people. I said, ‘Guys, pack up, let’s go to Harajuku,’ because it’s always packed there.”

He continued, “While we were performing in Harajuku, the police showed up and said we couldn’t perform there. We ended up being taken to the police station.”

Shocked, Young K asked, “You actually went to the police station? They didn’t just tell you to leave?” Jung Yong-hwa replied, “We were caught. We didn’t even have our passports, so we were questioned in separate rooms. Our manager had to rush over with the passports to sort it out.”

Despite the tense situation, Jung Yong-hwa shared a surprisingly lighthearted memory, “We were so broke back then that even buying drinks from a vending machine felt like a luxury. But the police gave us Coke. I was grateful I could drink Coke even though I messed up.”

CNBLUE debuted in Korea in January 2010. Prior to their debut, in June 2009, Jung Yong-hwa and Kang Min-hyuk, along with former member Lee Jong-hyun and Kwon Kwang-jin (formerly of N.Flying), went to Japan for training and performances under the name “Pine Tree.” They performed in streets and clubs to prepare for their official launch.

Kwon Kwang-jin later left the team for unspecified reasons, and Lee Jung-shin joined, completing the current CNBLUE lineup. Their debut track “I’m a Loner” became a hit, earning them wide public recognition.

Today, CNBLUE continues as a trio with Jung Yong-hwa, Lee Jung-shin, and Kang Min-hyuk, following Lee Jong-hyun’s departure after various controversies, including the Burning Sun scandal.