DJ DOC's Kim Chang-yeol apologizes for cursing at a fan 30 years ago

A 30-year-old grudge goes viral

DJ DOC member Kim Chang-yeol issued a public apology on September 22, 2026, after a netizen posted about an incident from roughly 30 years ago. The story: Kim allegedly shouted "Move, XX!" at them while exiting a tourist nightclub performance venue after a show.

The original post described the author waiting as a child outside the backstage area hoping for an autograph, only to be met with the expletive. (The exact wording varies slightly across accounts — one version reads "비켜, XX!", another "비켜 ○발!" — but both describe the same encounter.) The post collected over 3,000 likes and more than 1,000 comments.

Kim responded directly in the comments. He attached an image of a handwritten autograph in blue pen on white paper alongside the words "미안하다" — "I'm sorry" — and a crying emoticon.

The original poster's reply landed well: "Is this really you, hyung? I've resolved 30 years of resentment. From today on, I'm a fan of Chang-yeol hyung — you apologized like a real man with an autograph." They also noted they had switched their favorite artist to R.ef after the original incident.

Where Kim Chang-yeol stands right now

The apology lands while Kim is promoting his solo single 학씨 [사랑은 나를 피해 걷는다], released August 28, 2026, featuring singer Lim Chang-jung.

His relationship with fellow DJ DOC member Lee Ha-neul remains unresolved. In August, Lee Ha-neul said in a personal broadcast: "I had no conversation with Chang-yeol. We haven't reconciled yet and I've never said we're working together." The rift deepened after the 2021 death of Lee Ha-neul's younger brother, the late Lee Hyun-bae. On September 8, Lee Ha-neul disclosed that he had reached out to Kim Chang-yeol at a mutual acquaintance's funeral, asking him to come pay his respects over a drink.