ELFs believe that Super Junior leader Leeteuk deserves a medal for managing 13 members of the second-gen idol group for the past 15 years and he even admitted that it can be a challenge. However, given the choice, he said he wished to make a comeback with all 13 members if everyone agrees.
According to a report by All Kpop, Super Junior Leeteuk recently sat down for an in-depth interview with News1 where he talked about the group's 15 years in the industry.Leeteuk said that he was given the role of the leader because he was the oldest member. He is actually the same age as Super Junior's Heechul but was older by only a few months.
Leeteuk said that at first, he was overwhelmed by the responsibility of managing 12 other guys on the team but he received a lot of encouragement from their former manager and SM Entertainment's current president Tak Young Joon.He also credited his members for pulling their weight, even though the variety kings may look like a handful when they get together.
Super Junior will celebrate a landmark year in 2020 with its 15th year as an active idol group. Last year marked the discharge of their youngest member from mandatory service and marked the release of the group's ninth studio album with nine remaining members.Current members include Leeteuk, Kim Heechul, Choi Siwon, Lee Donghae, Eunhyuk, Yesung, Shindong, Ryeowook and Kyuhyun.
While the members are working well together as a unit, Leeteuk said that part of their success also stems from their individual contributions.
"I think that we have done our job of spreading our name to the public. Not just the brand of 'Super Junior', but as individuals too. All of our members do so well on their own, that I don't need to worry about them," Leeteuk said.
Leeteuk also looked back at some of the experiences that led Super Junior to lose four of its originals members. While Hangeng and Kim Ki Bum chose to leave on their own volition to pursue their individual careers, Kangin and Sungmin were embroiled in controversy which caused some fans to call for their expulsion from the group, Metro reported. Kangin officially left Super Junior last year while Sungmin is being promoted by Label SJ as a solo vocalist.
However, this does not mean that its the end of the road for Leeteuk's dream of standing on stage with all 13 members once again.
"So many bad things happened all at once while we were at a sort of 'peak' in our career. We spent a lot of time at our dorms, crying. But looking back now, we were able to band together more tightly through those rough times... If there is an opportunity in the future, I want to stand on stage with all 13-members again. Of course, if there's any member who is opposed to it, then it won't happen. As the leader, I want to consider the feelings of the members who are currently in Super Junior most," he said.
