Daniel Dae Kim Speaks out About His 'Hawaii Five-0' Exit

08/31/2017 03:56 pm EDT

Hawaii Five-0 fans were shocked when it was revealed that leads Daniel Dae Kim and Grace Park weren't returning to the show after the seventh season.

Allegations of racism during the contract negotiations were made, as Kim and co-star Grace Park were not given equivalent deals to their white co-stars. During the 2017 Television Critics Association's summer press tour, Kim spoke out about his departure, saying that he "maintained a steadfast sense of self-worth" during negotiations.

"That was a really important part of my life for seven years, and I'm really grateful to CBS and everyone involved with the show for giving me the opportunity," he said, according to THR. "I know [the CBS execs] and I like them, and I'm grateful to them for the words that they said on the panel the other day. That said, it's possible to be grateful for the opportunity and respectful of the colleagues and the people that I work with and still maintain a steadfast sense of your self-worth,"

By leaving Hawaii Five-0, the 49-year-old actor opened his schedule up to make his mark elsewhere. The former Lost star will be returning to ABC to executive produce the medical drama, The Good Doctor.

"All good things come to an end," he said. "I close that chapter on Hawaii Five-0 and I begin this new chapter on The Good Doctor. And I couldn't be more excited to be back at ABC where I started my career in earnest and to be working with such incredible people. This is the start of something new, and I'm really grateful for that, too."

CBS entertainment Chief Kelly Kahl had spoken about the actors departures on Wednesday. He claimed the network admired both actor and says the offered big contracts for each of them to return.

"We love both actors and did not want to lose them," Kahl said.

He didn't specify the amount of money the network offered Kim and Park, but he did say that they "made lucrative offers to those actors."

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