"After Hearing the Sad News of an Acquaintance’s Death..." Lee Ha-neul Contacts Kim Chang-yeol for the First Time in Two Years After Cutting Ties Following His Brother’s Death

[Financial News] Lee Ha-neul of the group DJ DOC revealed that he exchanged messages with fellow member Kim Chang-yeol for the first time in about two years after they had been embroiled in a long-running conflict.
On the 8th, Lee Ha-neul uploaded a video to his YouTube channel titled “Ha-neul Contacts Chang-yeol for the First Time in Two Years?”
Lee Ha-neul explained why he had previously stopped broadcasting for a week: "A younger acquaintance I knew passed away. He was close to me, so I took about a week off because I didn’t think it was right to laugh, chat and broadcast during the mourning period."
In particular, he drew attention by saying, "I contacted Chang-yeol at the funeral for the first time in two years. He was also a younger acquaintance whom Chang-yeol and I both knew, but Chang-yeol said he didn’t come because he couldn’t reach me." He added, "People kept asking, ‘Did Chang-yeol not come?’ So I called him directly and said, ‘This is what happened to him. Come, pour him a drink, and then leave.’ That’s why Chang-yeol came to the funeral home."
The conflict between the two deepened after the death of Lee Ha-neul’s younger brother, the late Lee Hyun-bae of 45RPM, in 2021. At the time, Lee Ha-neul claimed that Lee Hyun-bae had suffered financial hardship after withdrawing from an investment in a Jeju Island guesthouse led by Kim Chang-yeol, and that this had affected his death.
The two reunited at the funeral of Jung Jae-yong’s mother in 2024, making it appear that their conflict might have been resolved. However, speculation about discord resurfaced in December 2025 when a year-end DJ DOC concert was held without Kim Chang-yeol.
Recently, after Lee Ha-neul announced that DJ DOC would release a new album in November, Kim Chang-yeol stated, "I don’t know anything about it, and I have not been contacted."
At present, only Lee Ha-neul and Jung Jae-yong continue their activities as DJ DOC, while Kim Chang-yeol is focusing on his solo career.
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