Korean boy band Super Junior joined fellow artists at the SMTOWN Live in Seoul concert on July 8 but only four of them were able to perform due to others' military service and recent controversies.
Leader Leeteuk, Heechul, Yesung and Shindong represented the group and sang their hits including "Sorry Sorry," "Bonamana" and "Magic."
Sungmin decided not to participate because of fans' boycott while Kangin is on hiatus following his DUI case last year.
Still serving in the military but will be discharged this year are Donghae, Siwon and Eunhyuk. Also fulfilling their military service are Ryeowook and Kyuhyun.
Super Junior debuted in 2005 with 13 members but for the concert, they only had four.
"We debuted as the idol group with the most members in K-pop, but today, we're standing on stage with the smallest number of members ever for a dance group in SM. My mind is as tangled and stifling as the weather today," Leeteuk noted, according to Soompi.
Shindong thanked fans who came to the concert for their support.
"Though we feel like our strength has been sapped out of us, seeing our fans gives us a lot of energy. We're so grateful. I can't really put into words how I'm feeling right now," he said.
Heechul said, "To be honest, we thought a lot about whether we should even stand on stage today with just four of us. We believe that all our members should be with us."
"This feels different," Yesung told the crowd.
Leeteuk emphasized the importance of Super Junior to him, saying "I've spent 18 years in SM. Super Junior is my life. There are no exits for me."
Donghae and Kyuhyun took a leave from their military service and went to the concert.
Before the concert, SJ Label, Super Junior's record label, announced that Sungmin and Kangin would not be performing at the event.
Super Junior fans have demanded that Sungmin be ousted from the group, accusing him of ignoring them in the past especially with regard to the announcement of his marriage to actress Kim Sa-eun in 2014.
Sungmin recently issued an apology to fans and said that he has decided not to participate in the album of Super Junior that will be released in October.
