Yunho

Jung Yun-ho (Korean: 정윤호; Hanja: 鄭允浩; born February 6, 1986), also known by his stage name U-Know Yunho (유노윤호) or simply U-Know, is a South Korean singer-songwriter, actor, and a member of the pop duo TVXQ. Born and raised in Gwangju, South Korea, Yunho started his musical training under the talent agency S.M. Entertainment in 2001 and joined TVXQ in 2003 as the band's leader.[1] Fluent in Korean and Japanese, Yunho has released chart-topping albums throughout Asia as a member of TVXQ. He has made occasional acting appearances in television dramas.

Yunho
윤호
Yunho at Gimpo International Airport in January 2019
Born	Jung Yun-ho February 6, 1986 Gwangsan, Gwangju, South Korea
Other names	U-Know U-Know Yunho
Education	Myongji University Chungwoon University
Occupation	Singer-songwriter dancer actor
Years active	2003–present
Musical career
Genres	Pop dance R&B electronic rock ballad
Instruments	Vocals
Labels	SM Avex Trax Rhythm Zone
Associated acts	TVXQ SM Town SM the Performance
Website	u-know.smtown.com
Korean name
Hangul	정윤호
Hanja	鄭允浩
Revised Romanization	Jeong Yun-ho
McCune–Reischauer	Chŏng Yunho
Stage name
Hangul	유노윤호
Hanja	瑜鹵允浩
Revised Romanization	Yu-no Yun-ho
McCune–Reischauer	Yuno Yunho
Signature

Early life

Yunho was born and raised in Gwangju, South Korea. He has one younger sister. Several members of Yunho's family worked in the legal industry, and Yunho's own childhood dream was to be a prosecutor.[2]

When he was in middle school, he and a few other friends formed the dance team A+, and they competed in various dance competitions around the country. After winning a prize at the 1st Annual SM Best Competition in 1999, Yunho signed with S.M. Entertainment and officially started his training in 2001.

His family, who suffered greatly from the 1997 Asian financial crisis, were initially against his decision to become a singer. To provide for himself while he trained in Seoul, Yunho took up various part-time jobs in the city, such as doing snow removal in the morning and working as a waiter at night. He spent most of his high school vacations in Seoul training and only returned to Gwangju for school. Sometime later, Yunho suffered a hormonal imbalance in his throat and underwent surgery, which affected his vocal cords. After losing his voice, Yunho considered giving up his training.[3]

Throughout his years as a trainee, Yunho was put in four temporary groups - all of which later disbanded. In late 2001, at the age of fifteen, Yunho was featured as a rapper and backup dancer in Dana's debut single "Diamond", and briefly toured with her.[4]

In 2002, Yunho was selected to be a backup dancer for Shinhwa and was chosen to be part of the project boy band Four Seasons, which consisted of fellow trainees Kim Jae-joong, Kim Hee-chul, and Kangin. The project group was dropped when Yunho and Jaejoong joined TVXQ in early 2003.

Yunho's stage name "U-Know", a nickname he has been using since high school, reflected Yunho's position as the leader, who was always trying to understand others.[5]

Music career

TVXQ

The final line-up of TVXQ consisted of Yunho, Max Changmin, Jaejoong, Park Yoo-chun, and Kim Jun-su. The group officially debuted on December 26, 2003 during a BoA and Britney Spears showcase. They performed their debut single "Hug", which became a hit in South Korea. TVXQ have been releasing number one albums in Korea since their second studio album Rising Sun (2005), which was also the album that gave the group their first Daesang (대상), or Grand Award, at the Mnet KM Music Festival. Their fourth Korean album Mirotic (2008) was the Album of the Year at the 2008 Mnet KM Music Festival and the 2008 Golden Disc Awards. The album features the group's most well-known and best-selling single, "Mirotic".

In 2005, TVXQ made their Japanese debut with the single "Stay with Me Tonight", debuting at number 37 on the Oricon Singles Chart. They grabbed their first number-one single in Japan with "Purple Line" (2008). Their fourth Japanese album The Secret Code spawned two platinum-selling singles "Dōshite Kimi o Suki ni Natte Shimattandarō?" and Share the World" (2009), with the latter being a theme song for the anime One Piece.

TVXQ was plunged into legal turmoil when members Jaejoong, Yoochun, and Junsu filed an injunction against their Korean agency in July 2009. This led to their much-publicized departure from the group in 2010. A year later, Yunho and Changmin returned as a duo, releasing albums in both Korean and Japanese. As a duo, TVXQ set sales records and concert attendance records in Japan, becoming the country's best-selling and highest-grossing foreign music act.

Solo career

On May 25, 2015, it was announced that Yunho would release his first Japanese solo extended play U Know Y.[6] Consisting of seven tracks, the mini album includes five songs that were previously performed by Yunho during TVXQ's concerts and solo events in Japan. The new track "Burning Down" was selected to be the album's lead single. Bundled with a DVD that includes a music video and behind-the-scenes footage, U Know Y received a limited release, and was only made available for purchase to members of TVXQ's Japanese fanclub, Bigeast The mini album was released on July 8, 2015.[7]

On May 3, 2019, Yunho announced plans to release his first solo Korean-language album. Yunho's debut extended play, True Colors, was announced on May 28 and was released on June 12 alongside its lead single "Follow".[8]

On December 17, 2020, Yunho announced that he would make his comeback in January 2021.[9] Yunho's second extended play, Noir, was released on January 18, 2021 alongside its lead single "Thank U".[10]

Acting career

Yunho had brief acting cameos on the first few years of his career. He appeared in the MBC sitcom Nonstop 4, and participated in the television drama Vacation and movie Dating on Earth starring all of the members of TVXQ.[11]

Yunho made his official acting debut in 2009, playing the male lead in romantic comedy series Heading to the Ground.[12][13] However, the series was a commercial flop and sparked criticism from netizens for his lack of acting skills.[11]

From September to December 2010, Yunho starred in his first musical, a remake of the South Korean television drama Goong.[14] From November 2012 to January 2013, Yunho starred in his second musical Gwanghwamun Sonata, a story set in South Korea during the democratic movement in the 1980s.[15]

In 2012, Yunho starred in melodrama King of Ambition, playing a wealthy heir with ice hockey skills.[16] His performance earned him a People's Choice award at the 2013 Seoul International Drama Awards.[17]

In 2014, Yunho starred in the historical action drama Diary of a Night Watchman, playing a swordsman.[18][19] Yunho was widely praised for his acting, managing fierce action scenes and effectively portraying the delicate emotions of his character.[20]

For his last project before enlistment, Yunho chose to star in the web series I Order You, playing a chef.[21] The series premiered on Naver TVcast in July 2015.[22]

In May 2017, Yunho was confirmed to star in Orion Cinema Network's upcoming romantic mystery drama, Meloholic.[23]

Artistry

Yunho has been given the name "K-pop's dancing king" by critics.[24] He was also the only Asian performer invited to Michael Jackson's tribute concert This Is It, and performed in the Korean leg. He trained in Los Angeles and Las Vegas with Genevieve Gleary, Morris Pleasure, and others who once worked closely with Jackson.[25]

Ambassadorship

In 2014, Yunho was named honorary ambassador of National Assembly Library.[26]

Personal life

Besides his native Korean, Yunho is fluent in Japanese. He graduated from Myongji University in 2011.[27] He has pursued a master's degree at Chungwoon University.

Cyanoacrylate drink poisoning

While TVXQ was filming a variety show on October 14, 2006, Yunho was rushed to the hospital after drinking a beverage laced with super glue, given to him by an anti-fan.[28] The female suspect, whose surname is Ko, was apprehended on October 16. She was a member of an anti-TVXQ website for over two years.[29]

Yunho contacted the police and requested to not press charges against Ko in spite of the potentially severe consequences of what she did. Ko was the same age as Yunho's younger sister, and Yunho stated that the entire event "affected [him] more mentally than physically" while he was recovering from the shock.[30][31] Circumstances were unclear as to how the culprit managed to enter the set of the variety show.[32]

Military service

Yunho was inducted into the Republic of Korea Armed Forces on July 21, 2015.[33] He received five weeks of basic training at Yangju, Gyeonggi Province, and was the leader of his squad. A completion ceremony for the recruits was held on August 27, and Yunho was awarded with the "Best Recruit" honor.[34] Yunho officially joined the military band for the 26th Mechanized Infantry Division on August 31.[35] He was honored as a Special Warrior on May 9, 2016.[36] Yunho was honorably discharged from service on April 20, 2017.[37][38]

Discography

Title	Details	Peak chart positions	Sales
		KOR [39]
Korean
True Colors	Released: June 12, 2019 Label: SM Entertainment Format: CD, digital download, streaming Track listing "Follow" "Blue Jeans" "Swing" (feat. BoA) "Hit Me Up (불러)" (feat. Giriboy) "Why (왜)" "Change The World"	1	KOR: 143,424[40]
Noir	Released: January 18, 2021 Label: SM Entertainment Format: CD, digital download, streaming Track listing "Time Machine" "Thank U" "Eeny Meeny" "Loco (House Party)" "Need You Right Now" "La Rosa (불면)" (feat. Shin Ye-eun)	1	TBA
Japanese
U Know Y	Released: July 8, 2015 (limited) Label: Avex Trax Format: CD+DVD Track listing CD "Burning Down" "Tattoos & High Heels" "Bang!" (Japanese ver.) "Tsunagareta Hune" (繋がれた舟) (Tethered Boat) "T-Style" "Honey Funny Bunny" (Japanese ver.) "Santa Revolution" (Japanese ver.) DVD "Burning Down" (Video clip) Jacket Making Movie Off Shot Movie mini AL music introduction	—	N/A
"—" denotes releases that did not chart or were not released in that region.

Songwriting credits

Year	Title	Artist(s)	Album	Language(s)	Notes
2004	"넌 언제나 (You Always)"	TVXQ	Tri-Angle	Korean	Co-writer (rap)
2005	"Love After Love"		Rising Sun	Korean
2006	"태양은 가득히 (Red Sun)"	SM Town	2006 Summer SMTown	Korean
	"Sky"	Tohoshinki	Five in the Black	Japanese
	"Snow Dream"	SM Town	2006 Winter SMTown – Snow Dream	Korean
2007	"Summer Dream"	Tohoshinki	T	Japanese
	"Spokesman"	Yunho featuring Donghae	The 2nd Asia Tour Concert "O"	Korean	Co-writer (music, lyrics)
2008	"Wrong Number"	TVXQ	Mirotic	Korean	Co-writer (rap)
	"사랑 안녕 사랑 (Love Bye Love)"			Korean
2009	"이별…넌 쉽니 (Heartquake)"	Super Junior featuring U-Know Yunho and Micky Yoochun	Sorry, Sorry	Korean
	"Checkmate"	Yunho	N/A	Korean, Japanese	Co-writer (music, lyrics)
2013	"Santa Revolution"		U KNOW Y	Korean, Japanese	Co-writer, co-producer
2014	"뒷모습 (Steppin')"	TVXQ	Tense	Korean	Co-writer (rap)
	"11월...그리고 (November With Love)"	Yunho	Spellbound	Korean	Co-writer (music, lyrics)
	"Shout Out!"		N/A	Japanese
	"Bang!"		U KNOW Y	Korean, Japanese

Filmography

Film

Film	Year	Role	Notes
Dating on Earth	2009	Yunho	Direct-to-video
Haru: An Unforgettable Day in Korea	2010	Stunt actor	Television film for Korean Tourism[41]
Chorus City		Yunho	Short film for Shanghai Expo[42]
I AM.	2012	Himself	Documentary film
Make Your Move	2013	U-Know	Cameo
Ode to My Father	2014	Nam Jin	Cameo[43]
SMTOWN The Stage	2015	Himself	Documentary film

Television series

Title	Year	Role	Network	Notes
Banjun Theater	2005	U-Know Yunho	SBS
Nonstop 4	2006	Yunho	MBC	Guest role (Episodes 62, 64)
Vacation		U-Know Yunho	N/A	Episode: "Cassiopeia"
Heading to the Ground	2009	Cha Bong-Goon	MBC
Poseidon	2011	Kang Eun-chul	KBS2	Guest role[44]
Living Among the Rich		Himself	JTBC	Cameo (Episode 1)[45]
Welcome to the Show		Himself	SBS	Cameo (Episode 1)
King of Ambition	2013	Baek Do-hoon	SBS
Saki		Cafe customer	TBS	Cameo (Episode 11)
Diary of a Night Watchman	2014	Kang Moo-seok	MBC
I Order You	2015	Yeo Gook-dae	Naver TV Cast	Web series
Meloholic	2017	Yoo Eun-ho	OCN
Confession Couple		Salesman	KBS2	Cameo (Episode 2) [46]
Tensai Bakabon 3	2018	Yunho	NTV	Cameo

Variety show

Title	Year	Notes	Ref.
Kim Yuna's Kiss & Cry	2011	Contestant	[47]
Dunia: Into a New World	2018	Cast member	[48]
2020 KBS Song Festival	2020	Host with Cha Eun-woo and Shin Ye-eun	[49] [50]
Kingdom	2021	Host with Changmin	[51]

Travel series

Title	Year	Network	Role	Notes
Analog Trip	2019	YouTube Originals	Himself	[52]

Musical theatre

Year	Title	Role	Notes
2010	Goong: Musical	Crown Prince Lee Shin	Theatre Yong (September 8 – October 24, 2010)
2012–13	Gwanghwamun Sonata (Japan)	Sang-hoon	Also known as Gwanghwamun Love Song Osaka, Shin Kabukiza Theatre (November 20 – 21, 2012) Tokyo, Meijiza Theater (January 26, 2013)

Selected awards

Award	Year	Category	Recipient	Result
Baeksang Arts Awards	2010	Most Popular Actor	Heading to the Ground	Nominated
	2013		King of Ambition	Nominated
Seoul International Drama Awards	2013	Most Popular Actor – South Korea		Won
MBC Drama Awards	2014	Excellence Award, Actor in a Special Project Drama	Diary of a Night Watchman	Nominated
Presidential Commendation	2020	National Day of Finance - Savings Day	Jung Yunho	Won

References

1. Mark Russell (April 29, 2014). K-Pop Now!: The Korean Music Revolution. Tuttle Publishing. p. 42. ISBN 978-1-4629-1411-1.
2. "DBSK Yunho Reveals Childhood Dream". Soompi. May 4, 2012. Retrieved May 4, 2012.
3. "유노윤호 "데뷔 전 목수술, 가수 포기할 생각했다" 고백" [U-Know Yunho almost gave up singing] (in Korean). Nate. Retrieved April 26, 2014.
4. "신승훈-유노윤호, 상반된 콘셉트로 입담 대결 '불꽃'" [U-Know Yunho, voluble nuclear confrontation with the concept 'flame']. 10Asia (in Korean). May 13, 2004. Archived from the original on April 18, 2017. Retrieved March 8, 2009.CS1 maint: bot: original URL status unknown (link)
5. "[피플] 가요계 인기 돌풍의 핵 東方神起" [TVXQ singers of the popular nuclear blast]. enews24 (in Korean). May 13, 2004. Retrieved February 11, 2009.
6. "【Bigeast オフィシャルショップ限定】 2015/7/8（水） YUNHO from 東方神起 SOLO MINI ALBUM「U KNOW Y」リリース決定!!". Tohoshinki Official Website at Avex Group (in Japanese). May 25, 2015.
7. "U Know Y Special Website". Avex Group (in Japanese). Retrieved June 10, 2015.
8. Herman, Tamar (June 12, 2019). "TVXQ's U-Know Releases New Single 'Follow' & First Solo EP 'True Colors': Listen". Billboard. Retrieved June 21, 2019.
9. "SM 측 "유노윤호, 1월 솔로 컴백 목표…새 앨범 준비 중"(공식)". Newsen (in Korean). Retrieved January 3, 2021.
10. ""왕의 귀환"…유노윤호, 18일 새 앨범 'NOIR'로 솔로 컴백[공식입장]". Xportsnews (in Korean). Retrieved January 3, 2021.
11. "10 years after Yunho's acting debut". Kpop Herald. October 29, 2014.
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14. "Yunho cast as male lead in "Goong" musical". 10Asia. Hancinema. June 10, 2010.
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16. "Yunho to star in 'King of the Beast'". Korea JoongAng Daily. December 6, 2012.
17. "Israeli Series "Prisoners of War 2" Grabs Top Prize at Seoul Drama Awards". 10Asia. September 6, 2013.
18. Kim, Hee-eun (May 28, 2014). "Jung Yun-ho heads to Joseon". Korea JoongAng Daily. Retrieved June 18, 2014.
19. Kim, Min-jin (July 25, 2014). "Jung Yun-ho devotes himself in sword practice for The Night Watchman". The Korea Herald. Retrieved July 26, 2014.
20. "Yunho develops to become a true actor". Kpop Herald. October 21, 2014.
21. "TVXQ Yunho to star as chef in rom-com Web drama". Asiaone. May 21, 2015.
22. "Yunho launches Web drama 'I Order You' before military enlistment". Kpop Herald. June 29, 2015.
23. "U-Know Yunho to take lead in 'Melo Holic'". Korea JoongAng Daily. May 26, 2017.
24. Jeon, Su-mi (March 14, 2014). "[슈퍼 아이돌 차트쇼 동영상] 동방신기 유노윤호, '최강 댄싱킹' 1위 등극" [TVXQ's U-Know Yunho as no. 1 best dancing king]. enews24 (in Korean). Naver.
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29. "'Anti-fan' laces pop star's beverage". Korea JoongAng Daily. October 15, 2016.
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39. "2019년 24주차 Album Chart" [Gaon Album Chart Week 24, Year 2019]. Gaon Music Chart (in Korean). June 9–15, 2019. Retrieved June 20, 2019.
    • Noir: "2021년 4주차 Album Chart" [Gaon Album Chart Week 4, Year 2021]. Gaon Music Chart (in Korean). January 17–23, 2021. Retrieved January 28, 2021.
40. 2019년 Album Chart [2019 Album Chart]. Gaon Music Chart (in Korean). Retrieved January 10, 2020.
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44. "TVXQ's U-Know Yunho joins cast of "Poseidon"". 10Asia. August 10, 2011. Archived from the original on August 20, 2017.CS1 maint: bot: original URL status unknown (link)
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46. "TVXQ's U-Know Yunho to cameo in Son Ho Jun's upcoming drama". KBS World. September 19, 2017.
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48. "U-Know Yunho confirmed to be first cast member for new MBC variety show". X Sports News (in Korean). April 13, 2018. Retrieved April 21, 2018.
49. "KBS '가요대축제', 유노윤호·차은우·신예은 MC 확정…12월 18일 생방송 [공식입장]". xportsnews (in Korean). November 27, 2020.
50. "TVXQ's Yunho, ASTRO's Cha Eun Woo, And Shin Ye Eun To MC 2020 KBS Song Festival". soompi. November 27, 2020.
51. Han Hae-Seon (January 22, 2021). "동방신기, '킹덤'에 뜬다.."MC로 출연"[공식]". star.mt (in Korean). Retrieved January 22, 2021.
52. "동방신기X슈퍼주니어, 유튜브 오리지널 '아날로그 트립' 론칭". Ilgan Sports (in Korean). September 11, 2019.

External links

• Yunho at HanCinema