Lee Joon says his desire to succeed in life is greater than wanting to date

Actor wishes people don't bring up his 'animal kingdom' comment while discussing dating in the entertainment industry.

Lee Joon
Lee Joon. instagram.com/leechangsun27

Actor Lee Joon is all set to begin his mandatory military enlistment from October 24 this year. He recently talked about how he was unsure of his acting and expressed doubts whether he'll have a post-enlistment career in the entertainment industry. He had also talked about how professional figure skater Kim Yuna was his ideal type. The actor has now said that his desire to succeed in life is greater than dating interests.

Soompi notes that Lee Joon, whose drama 'Father is Strange' concluded recently, sat down for an interview recently where he talked about his acting career, his forthcoming military enlistment and also a comment he made that he wishes people wouldn't bring up on their interviews.

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As noted by Allkpop, on June 25, 2013, in an episode of SBS's talk show 'Incarnation,' Lee Joon had said, "[Because of what other people would think], I can't meet with more female idols. I can't say who exactly, but with a lot of idol singers, A and B will start dating, and then suddenly, A starts dating C and B starts dating D. It's like the wild animal kingdom... It's sort of embarrassing."

This 'animal kingdom' comment has since then repeatedly been referenced by others talking on the subject of dating. The actor wishes people stopped mentioning it and said, "It's very uncomfortable. I only said that because it was a variety program; I was trying to make people laugh. I had no idea that the response would be this big. I really wish people wouldn't bring up that comment anymore."

The 29-year old actor also revealed that right now he values success higher than dating. "I don't really know what the boundaries are between having a clean personal life and having a dirty one. I just want to at least live my life in a fun way. I really don't want people bringing up my comment about the animal kingdom anymore, because I've also had experiences dating celebrities. Of course, it happened before I said that comment. As I'm getting older, my feelings as well as my appetite have decreased. Right now, my work takes priority rather than dating. It's just that my desire to succeed is greater," Lee Joon said.

This chimes in with his recent comment on relationships. He had said, "I'm 30 and, although I have had girlfriends, I regret not having dated anyone in a deep and meaningful way. When I was a student, I had a lot of emotional ups and downs because of love and cried a lot because of love; however, as I got older and became an adult, my emotions became more subdued and now I don't really react to much. I think I've become that much more sensitive."

The actor also said he is not worried about being forgotten after his military enlistment ends. "Honestly, I have no thoughts [about it]. If I become forgotten, then I'll just act as I'm being forgotten. I want to live my life while having fun and not getting stressed. If I come across another good project after I get discharged [from the military], then that would be something to be grateful about. I personally wanted to become happier and to 'find my life,' and so I'm taking a short break. I think it's a good decision," Lee Joon said.

This article was first published on September 6, 2017