Jun Jin, born Park Choong Jae, is a South Korean singer, actor, and entertainer, known as a member and rapper of six-member boy band Shinhwa. He debuted as a dancer and rapper in Shinhwa in 1998 but started singing small parts in 2002; the release of Shinhwa’s 5th album. He debuted as a solo artist in November 2006 with the single Love Doesn’t Come.
Jun Jin was the firstborn child of singer Charlie Park, also known as Park Young Chul, who debuted with a solo album Casanova Sarang in 2004. Jun Jin’s birth mom left him and his two younger siblings when he was young, due to his father’s wandering lifestyle. His father remarried, but the two divorced during Jun Jin’s teenage years. His father’s third wife proved to be a loving mother as she took care of Jun Jin like her own son. She also located Jun Jin’s birth mother and reconnected the two. Although he wasn’t able to see her frequently, the two did promise to keep in touch.
Backed by his high school friend, An Chil Hyun, Jun Jin was able to make it through the audition as a member for Shinhwa. He debuted with them as a rapper, alongside Eric Mun and Andy Lee. However, in the release of Shinhwa’s fifth album Perfect Man, he began singing small parts. He would continue to sing small parts with the release of Shinhwa’s later albums until the band switched to a different label, Good Entertainment. Under Good Enter, Jun Jin advanced further, singing a solo song entitled "Painfully Loving You". Jun Jin soon released a single, "Love Doesn’t Come", thus starting his solo career.
Jun Jin starred in the hit 2004 KBS drama "Forbidden Love" in 2004, alongside popular actress Kim Tae Hee. He also starred in various other Banjun Dramas as well. In 2009, he and the other members of Infinite Challenge appeared in an episode of the MBC drama Queen of Housewives.
He released his first full-length solo album on 25 April 2008. Titled New Decade, the first single from the album was "Wa". The single encountered controversy when the music video was given a 19+ rating due to sexual content, in effect banning the video from major networks. On 26th April, Jun Jin held his first solo concert at Shibuya Public Hall, Tokyo. An extra show was added when the 2,500 tickets sold out in five minutes.
Jun Jin appeared in a variety program Infinite Challenge firstly in April 2008 as a replacement for Haha, officially known as ‘the 7th member’ in June 2008. Later he joined We Got Married in early 2009 with actress Lee Shi Young as his "wife". The couple was dubbed "Gundam Couple" due to Lee Shi Young’s obsession with Gundam. They officially departed from the show on May 3rd, 2009, due to the restructuring of the show’s format.
He later released a mini-album, titled Fascination. The title track "Hey Ya" featuring Son Dam Bi and Big Tone did fairly well on the charts but a track on the mini-album titled "Like A Fool" featuring his "wife" Lee Shi Young managed to fare better on the charts. The album was a mild success.
Jun Jin enlisted for mandatory military service on 22nd October 2009 as a public service worker after undergoing four weeks of basic training at the Nonsan military camp in Chungcheongnam-do Province. He was discharged on 14th November 2011, after working at the Gangnam Management Corporation, managing the culture center’s fitness club and parking lot. He then participated at his agency’s 1st Open World Festival Tokyo on 26th November. Since being discharged, he held the Jun Jin: The singer’s Christmas Day fan meeting in Taipei on 25th December 2011.
He married Ryu Yi-seo, a former flight attendant in October 2020. The wedding was private and held among close friends and family members in an undisclosed location.
(Source: Wikipedia)
