Daniel Dae Kim on 'Hawaii Five-0' exit: 'CBS and I weren't able to agree'

Daniel Dae Kim, best known as Chin Ho Kelly in "Hawaii Five-0," confirmed that his sudden exit was due to a disagreement regarding his contract with CBS. In a lengthy Facebook post dedicated to his fans, the South Korean actor admitted that it was a difficult decision to leave the series after seven years. He, however, revealed making himself available to return for its upcoming season.

"CBS and I weren’t able to agree to terms on a new contract, so I made the difficult choice not to continue," he wrote. "As sad as it feels to say goodbye, what I feel most is gratitude."

The 48-year-old actor went and thank everyone he has worked with since "Hawaii Five-0" Season 1. As one of the main cast members, Kim is particularly thankful to the cast and crew for their support and faith in him. He specifically mentioned Peter Lenkov, Alex Kurtzman, Roberto Orci, and CBS for giving him the opportunity to play the role of Chin Ho Kelly.

He also took this chance to express his gratitude to his loyal fans who have stayed with him since he started his "Hawaii Five-0" journey in 2010.

Kim even gave them all the credit for the success of the police procedural show.

What happens to Chin Ho Kelly?

In the final moments of "Hawaii Five-0" Season 7, Kim's character was offered to lead a Five-0 unit in San Francisco. Hence, the upcoming installment is expected to pick up this story to tell us the fate of the veteran HPD detective. Chin Ho Kelly will bow out from the CBS series with Grace Park, who has brought Kono Kalakaua to life.

The Canadian-American actress was also a member of the main cast. According to Variety, the two actors reportedly asked for equal pay with Alex O'Loughlin and and Scott Caan. Kim and Park were allegedly offered a salary that was 10-15 percent lower that their co-actors which reportedly compelled them to leave the long-running series.

Despite the disagreement, the "Lost" actor is still hoping for the best for "Hawaii Five-0" Season 8.

What's next for DDK?

Although he is saying goodbye to his character as Chin Ho Kelly, the Asian-American actor is happy to announce that his newest project, "The Good Doctor," has been scheduled to premiere this fall. He will serve as one of the executive producers alongside David Shore for the U.S. adaptation of a South Korean series of the same title.

"The Good Doctor" will star Freddie Highmore as Dr. Shaun Murphy, Antonia Thomas as Dr. Claire Brown, Nicholas Gonzalez as Dr. Neal Melendez, and more.