Kim Jae-joong

Biography

Kim Jae-joong (Korean: 김재중; born January 26, 1986), also known mononymously as Jaejoong in South Korea and Jejung/J-Jun (ジェジュン) in Japan, is a South Korean singer-songwriter, actor and director. He is a member of the Korean duo JX, a former member of JYJ and was one of the original members of boy band TVXQ!, where he was formerly known by the stage name Hero Jae-joong (영웅재중). Since 2013, he has expanded his range of activities as a solo artist, and in 2023, he formed his own agency Inkode, where he serves as the Chief Strategy Officer. Born in Gongju, South Chungcheong Province, he moved to Seoul as a teenager to audition for SM Entertainment. From 2003 to 2010, he was the lead vocalist of South Korean boy band TVXQ. Later, he sued SM Entertainment along with Park Yoo-chun and Kim Jun-su and together they separated from TVXQ to form JYJ. As a solo artist, he has released four Korean studio albums, WWW (2013), No.X (2016), Born Gene (2022) and Flower Garden (2024). The first two reached number one on the Gaon Music Chart. In Japan, his three studio albums Flawless Love (2019), Love Covers (2019), and Love Covers II (2020) all peaked at number one on the Oricon Albums Chart. His fourth Japanese Fallinbow was released in November 2022. He has toured extensively in South Korea and Japan. Kim has acted in TV dramas including Sunao ni Narenakute (2010), Protect the Boss (2011), Dr. Jin (2012), Triangle (2014), SPY (2015), Manhole (2017) and Bad Memory Eraser (2024); and in films such as Heaven's Postman (2009) and Jackal is Coming (2012). He has branched into hosting with season 1 and 2 of Lifetime Korea's Travel Buddies (2020, 2021), BS SKY PerfecTV's Jaejoong J! (2021) and has a documentary about his life and career called Jaejoong: On the Road (2021), directed by John H. Lee.

== Early life == Kim was born Han Jae-joon (한재준; 韩在俊) in Gongju, South Korea. At a young age, he was given up for adoption by his biological mother to the Kim family, and his name was changed to Kim Jae-joong. On November 21, 2006, a man with the surname Han filed a lawsuit against Kim's guardians. Han claimed he was Kim's biological father, and thus wanted parental rights. Han cited the reason for the lawsuit against Kim's legal guardians as "for not going through the proper procedures before registering [Jaejoong] in [the legal guardians'] custody." The first hearing was to be held in Kim's hometown, Gongju, on November 29, 2006, but on November 22 Han dropped the charges against Kim's legal guardians. In reaction to the matter, Kim uploaded a journal entry on his official fan club website, and said that he was informed of the existence of separate biological parents by his mother two or three years ago, and it had been quite a shock to him. With his adoptive mother's support, his biological mother was able to keep in touch with him, and to meet occasionally, but whereabouts of his father had been unknown. He expressed his will to live by the name of Kim Jae-joong, not by his birth name Han Jae-jun (한재준). When Kim was fifteen, he moved to Seoul by himself in order to take part in the auditions held by SM Entertainment. Life in Seoul was financially difficult and he took various odd jobs to pay for rent, food, and training fees; and even appeared as an extra in movies. In an interview, he admitted he used to be tone-deaf in primary school and was frequently ridiculed for his dream of becoming a singer, but managed to overcome it through practicing alone. Kim attended Gongju Jungdong Elementary School (중동초등학교), Kongju National University Middle School (공주대학교 사범대학 부설중학교), Kongju Information High School (공주정보고등학교) and then dropped out in 2001. He enrolled Hanam High School (하남고등학교) in 2005 and Kyung Hee Cyber University (경희사이버대학교), majoring in Digital Media Engineering.

== Music career ==

=== 2003–2010: Member of TVXQ ===

In 2001, at fifteen years old, Kim auditioned for S.M. Entertainment and was accepted into the agency. From 2003 to 2010, he was the lead vocalist of South Korean boy band TVXQ. After TVXQ went on hiatus in early 2010, he and two other fellow band members Yoochun and Junsu formed a new trio boy group, initially known as JUNSU/JEJUNG/YUCHUN in Japan. Kim sang the solo track "Maze" for the fifth and final single of the TVXQ/Tohoshinki's Trick Project, "Keyword/Maze". Jaejoong wrote and composed "Wasurenaide" (忘れないで, lit. Don't Forget) which was included on TVXQ/Tohoshinki's twenty-fifth single "Bolero/Kiss the Baby Sky/Wasurenaide." The song was also on their fourth Japanese album The Secret Code, along with the songs "9095" and "9096" which were also composed by Kim. The song, "忘れないで" was used in a television advertisement for cosmetics in Japan. Apart from his activities as a member of TVXQ, he sang "Insa" (인사, Greeting) for the soundtrack of A Millionaire's First Love (2006). Kim collaborated with The Grace for the Japanese version of their song "Just for One Day", which was featured on their fifth Japanese single and their debut album, Graceful 4 (2007). Kim sang "Love" for the soundtrack of the film Heaven's Postman (2009) in which he starred as the male lead.

=== 2009–2012: Formation of JYJ ===

In 2009 Kim, Junsu and Yoochun, started a lawsuit against their agency, SM Entertainment, and separated from TVXQ, soon founding their own band, JYJ. On September 30, 2009, Kim and bandmate Yoochun released a self-composed single "Colors (Melody and Harmony)/Shelter." The A-side track, Colors (Melody and Harmony), was used as the image song for Hello Kitty's thirty-fifth anniversary. Jaejoong and Yoochun also participated in m-flo's album m-flo TRIBUTE -maison de m-flo, singing the track "Been So Long". Their debut Japanese language EP The... was released in September 2010, and their first concert DVD from Tokyo Dome Thanksgiving Live in Dome both reached No. 1 on the Japanese Oricon album and DVD charts. The group's English language debut album, The Beginning was released in October 2010, featuring Kanye West. In January 2011, they released a Korean EP, Their Rooms "Our Story", with three of Kim's own compositions, "Pierrot" (삐에로), "Nine" and "I.D.S.". In April he toured Asia and North America with JYJ, and later South America and Europe. He was also stage director of the Asian leg of the tour. In September the band released a studio album called In Heaven, which sold 350,000 copies and ranked first on the Gaon charts. He composed two new songs for the album, "In Heaven" and "Get Out". Kim composed "In Heaven" in memory of his good friend, Park Yong-ha, who committed suicide. Apart from his activities as a member of JYJ, he also sang "Found You" and "For you It's Separation, For me It's Waiting" for the soundtrack of the television drama Sungkyunkwan Scandal (2010), "I'll Protect You" for Protect the Boss (2011), and "Living Like A Dream" for Dr. Jin (2012). "Living Like a Dream" was awarded the Best Hallyu Drama OST at the Seoul International Drama Awards.

=== 2013–2017: Solo Korean albums ===