Daniel Dae Kim: Contract dispute behind ‘Hawaii Five-0’ exit

LOS ANGELES – Daniel Dae Kim says his decision to leave “Hawaii Five-O” stemmed from a contract dispute.

In a Facebook post, the actor said he and CBS were unable to agree on contract terms, so he made the “difficult choice” to exit the series.

Kim said the “path to equality is rarely easy,” without elaborating. A spokeswoman said he was traveling Wednesday and unavailable.

Grace Park, who has played Kono Kalakaua since the series debut, also has left the series because of a contract dispute, according to Variety. The story reports that Kim and Park were request pay equity with co-stars Alex O’Laughlin and Scott Caan.

CBS didn’t respond to a request for comment.

Kim played Chin Ho Kelly on the rebooted crime drama that will start its eighth year next season.

In his post, Kim said as an Asian-American actor he knows first-hand how difficult it is to find opportunities, especially well-developed characters like Chin Ho.

He’s looking at other acting projects, he said, and is producing ABC’s upcoming series, “The Good Doctor.”