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Legendary Boy Group Makes Unprecedented Announcement!
May 2025 – It’s an exciting year for fans of legendary SM Entertainment boy group Super Junior! Not only has the current lineup, Super Junior ‘25, just set a new record for first-day sales of their latest album, their title track is on its way to topping this year’s record for most perfect all kills. However, it’s not just the current generation of ELF who have something to celebrate.
Super Junior, Korea’s first rotational group concept, debuted in late 2005 with a roster of 12 members. After a somewhat rocky start and a tenuous first few years, SM perfected the formula for launching their male trainees to stardom. Super Junior ‘25 is the group’s twentieth roster of members, bringing the total number of idols who have participated in the project to a whopping 115. Many of these boys have gone on to success as soloists, actors, comedians, TV personalities, and even the front-runners of their own smaller idol groups. It’s impossible to deny the ways in which Super Junior changed the idol landscape.
With this year marking the twentieth anniversary of their debut, fans have wondered how SM Entertainment will be celebrating the occasion. And now, with their latest press release, the secret is out.
Super Junior will hold their popular Super Show concert in Seoul, which will include a special reunion performance from Super Junior ‘05 – the group’s original lineup! This is exciting news for longstanding ELF as, due to mandatory military service, many of the original group could not participate in the tenth anniversary celebration, and the COVID-19 pandemic prevented the 15th anniversary from being an event of any significant scale.
In preparation for this special reunion performance, we’re taking a look back at the original 12 members of Super Junior ‘05. Where are they now, and how likely are they to participate in this reunion?
Sure Things:
- Leeteuk (Park Jungsoo, Super Junior ‘05, ‘06) – the oldest member to ever participate, and the group’s very first leader, Leeteuk is still familiar to many. While his idol days are long behind him, he’s worked steadily as a television host since he graduated from the group. It’s hard to go a week without seeing him on television somewhere. Still signed to SM Entertainment, it’s impossible to imagine they would do a reunion without him.
- Shindong (Shin Donghee, Super Junior ‘05, ‘06, ‘07) – while he mostly stays behind the camera these days, Shindong is still involved with SM Entertainment, even directing Super Junior ‘25’s most recent music video. He occasionally makes an appearance on variety shows, and hosts a YouTube show where he does technology reviews. His participation seems like a sure thing.
- Sungmin (Lee Sungmin, Super Junior ‘05, ‘06, ‘07, ‘08) – transitioned from traditional idoldom to an incredibly successful career as a trot singer. While he left SM for a more trot-focused label, he still speaks fondly of his time in Super Junior, and was a part of both the 10th and 15th anniversaries. He and his wife welcomed their first child last year, and have a popular social media account for their family. SM would be smart to include him.
- Eunhyuk (Lee Hyukjae, Super Junior ‘05, ‘06, ‘07, ‘08, ‘09, ‘10, ‘11) – will definitely be there. From the original lineup, he was in the group the longest and has served as Super Junior’s performance director since his discharge from military service in 2017. Every lineup of Super Junior has always spoken highly of their relationship with him, and it would be impossible to imagine a reunion without the most familiar face from that first year.
- Ryeowook (Kim Ryeowook, Super Junior ‘05, ‘06, ‘07, ‘08, ‘09) – might not be as well-known as Super Junior’s most successful main vocal (Kyuhyun, Super Junior’s longest tenured member, from ‘06 until ‘13) but he’s steadily released solo music for years. Still with SM Entertainment, he took part in both the 10th and 15th anniversaries and has performed duets with members of many recent Super Junior lineups at SMTown. Last year, his wedding (to former TAHITI member Ari) saw a whopping 37 current and former members of Super Junior in attendance.
Don’t get your hopes up:
- Hankyung (Han Geng, Super Junior ‘05, ‘06) – while active with a successful career in China, he left SM Entertainment as part of a high profile lawsuit. While he’s been friendly with some other former members and attended Ryeowook’s wedding last year, he’s repeatedly made it clear that he will not participate in any official Super Junior activities.
- Kangin (Kim Youngwoon, Super Junior ‘05, ‘06, ‘07) – left the entertainment industry after repeated legal issues saw his contract with SM Entertainment terminated. SM won’t want to bring that kind of press to the occasion.
- Siwon (Choi Siwon, Super Junior ‘05) – moved almost immediately into an acting career and lives and works in the United States. The original face of the group, he became the first to graduate to the career he had truly trained for. At the 10th anniversary, Siwon sent well wishes but made a clear statement that he would not participate in any idol activities, as he does not consider himself trained for such things. He did not send any messages for the 15th.
- Kibum (Kim Kibum, Super Junior ‘05) – also moved into an acting career, having several successful roles before mutually agreeing to end his contract with SM and step out of public life. He did not participate in either the 10th or 15th anniversaries. While it’s possible he could appear for the reunion, it doesn’t seem very likely.
Wild Cards:
- Heechul (Kim Heechul, Super Junior ‘05, ‘06) – might seem like a sure thing, given that he’s still signed with SM Entertainment and almost as ubiquitous on television as Leeteuk, but what many don’t remember is the reason he was graduated from the group. Shortly after Super Junior ‘06 began promotions, Heechul was injured in a car accident. He was forced to sit out of a majority of that year’s events due to injuries to his leg, and when he did participate, he did not dance. After graduating, he took a few years off, completed his mandatory service, and returned to the entertainment industry as a variety host. While he speaks often of his time in Super Junior, he was absent for the 10th anniversary and it remains unknown if he is willing to revisit his idol days.
- Yesung (Kim Kanghoon, Super Junior ‘05, ‘06, ‘07) – was the group’s original main vocalist. After graduating, he fell off the entertainment radar for a period before returning as the front man of highly successful rock band mouserabbit. With a very successful rock career, and sporting some decidedly non-idol-like tattoos, it’s possible he wouldn’t want to associate himself with his KPop roots.
- Donghae (Lee Donghae, Super Junior ‘05, ‘06) – is the biggest unknown. He was incredibly popular in the group for his handsome face and skilled dancing, but SM graduated him quickly and he transitioned into acting. He did a number of dramas, but his lack of chemistry as a romantic lead was widely noted. His last role was in early 2010 and while his contract termination with SM was never announced, it was noticed by fans sometime in 2011 that he was no longer on the agency’s artist roster. He was serving in the military during the 10th anniversary, but he did send a written message to fans for the 15th anniversary package that SM prepared. He was the only member of the original lineup who did not attend Ryeowook’s wedding last year, and perhaps it’s this writer’s bias showing (he was my original KPop bias!) but many fans are still holding out hope he could be a part of the reunion.
Regardless of who does or doesn’t appear, the Super Junior ‘05 reunion and the 20th anniversary of this industry-changing group promises to be an exciting moment that will go down in KPop history!
—Admin A (with additional reporting by Admin B)
Posted May 20th, 2025 - 7:18pm
COMMENTS
🪭Grrl: OMG Original Suju reunion! My mom will be so psyched!
Nomarixle: first
TogetherWithoutGoats: Praying for Donghae to be there! I need to see eunhae together with my own eyes!!!
Elf_on_a_Shelf: EUNHAE! I haven’t thought about them in YEARS. I still remember at the 10th anniversary, when the MC asked Hyukjae if he was sad Donghae couldn’t participate due to his enlistment. He laughed it off but I saw the heartbreak in his eyes!
NormalBirdsOnly: They’re going to get on stage and tell us they’ve been best friends the entire time or something, just watch
JewelWife44: I heard Donghae disappeared because he got some girl pregnant and SM covered it up
Elf_on_a_Shelf: @JewelWife44 HAHAHA Sure. More like Eunhyuk got HIM pregnant
kp0pfan4eva: Who cares about these hags, suju disband
KINGSUJU: Suju paved the way! Your faves wouldn’t exist without them! First rotational kpop group! First group with a large number of members! First group with subunits! First group to regularly tour outside of Korea!
I_Miss_Fishy: I bet Donghae is even more handsome now!!
MrsSimple: I saw him a couple of years ago at Haru cafe in mangwon-dong you’re not wrong. He really looks like he should still be an idol.
Rahnbee: He goes to a gym near my work!! What a beautiful man.
CloudDefender84: What is this anti-Yesung garbage? Plenty of idols have tattoos these days and he’s always spoken fondly of Suju! He was at Kyuhyun’s concert last week! I just know he’s going to be there and outdance all of your faves while dropping sick vocal adlibs!!!
JewelWife44: Did you see Eunhyuk on Boys Survival XL a few weeks ago? My man has aged so well! I can’t wait to see him dancing in the spotlight like he deserves!!!
RealPaitlinKerry: Even if he doesn’t dance they should let Heechul be a part of this!!!
Sapphire_Bloop: It’s crazy to think about Kyuhyun not being in the original lineup!!! He was in Suju for so long, I really forget he wasn’t there from the beginning.
Elf_on_a_Shelf: They should just let him be in the reunion anyway, no one would complain!
KexVenom: Maybe they’ll do a KRY reunion stage instead?
KINGSUJU: Park Jungsoo! Kim Heechul! Han Geng! Kim Youngwoon! Kim Jongwoon! Shin Donghee! Lee Sungmin! Lee Hyukjae! Lee Donghae! Choi Siwon! Kim Ryeowook! Kim Kibum! Super Junior Zero Five!
ShinDongDengDongDanceMachine: With all those girl group challenges Shindong does, I just know he’s going to come back and crush suju choreography like the king he always was!
eunhae4real: MANIFESTING EUNHAE REAL IN THE YEAR 2025
Elf_on_a_Shelf: 🙏🏻
TogetherWithoutGoats: 🙏🏻
KexVenom: ⬆️