South Korean pop star and actor Rain testified he had every intention of performing in Hawaii and other U.S. states, but a series of abrupt concert cancellations were out of his control. “I was not the person that canceled the concerts,” he said through an interpreter. “I would love to perform in North America.” Rain made his first appearance in U.S. District Court in a room packed with giddy female fans in a civil trial stemming from the cancellation of his scheduled June 15, 2007, concert in Honolulu. Hawaii-based Click Entertainment Inc. alleges Rain and his managers breached a contract and defrauded it of $500,000 in licensing fees, plus nearly $1 million in other expenses to stage the event. Sporting a black suit and long bangs that nearly covered his eyes, Rain was poised, polite and seemed at ease as he answered questions for 90 minutes in Korean through a court interpreter. He introduced himself in English after being sworn in. “I am Jung Ji-hoon and I perform as Rain. Aloha,” he told the court with a smile. The 26-year-old Rain said he really wanted to perform at Aloha Stadium but couldn't make it for reasons he had no hand in. “It was regrettable,” he said. Rain said he didn't know why his Hawaii concert was canceled, until much later when he was told by his handlers that the stage was not adequate and there were security concerns. He said that all the planning is entirely done by his management team and that his job is solely to prepare for performances. “I was practicing with dancers. I was packing my bags,” Rain said.
