Choi Jong-ho (; born October 12, 2000), known professionally as Jongho, is a South Korean singer, and actor. He debuted as the main vocalist of the boy group

Ateez Ateez (; stylised in all caps) is a South Korean boy band formed by KQ Entertainment. The group consists of eight members: Hongjoong, Seonghwa, Yunho, Yeosang, San, Mingi, Wooyoung and Jongho. They debuted on October 24, 2018, with the extende ...

in 2018. Jongho has also released multiple

Korean drama Korean drama (), also known as K-drama or Koreanovela, refers to Korean language, Korean-language television shows made in South Korea. These shows began to be produced around the early 1960s, but were mostly consumed domestically until the rise ...

soundtrack A soundtrack is a recorded audio signal accompanying and synchronised to the images of a book, drama, motion picture, radio program, television show, television program, or video game; colloquially, a commercially released soundtrack album of m ...

s, including "Gravity" for the drama ''

Reborn Rich ''Reborn Rich'' () is a South Korean television series adapted from the original web novel of the same name, starring Song Joong-ki, Lee Sung-min, and Shin Hyun-been. It aired on JTBC from November 18 to December 25, 2022, every Friday to Sun ...

'' and "A Day" for the drama ''

Lovely Runner ''Lovely Runner'' () is a 2024 South Korean television series starring Byeon Woo-seok and Kim Hye-yoon. It is based on a web novel titled ''Tomorrow's Best'', which was also serialized as a webtoon by illustrator Doong Doong. It aired on tvN eve ...

''. Outside of his music endeavors, Jongho made his acting debut in the 2021 KBS drama ''

Imitation Imitation (from Latin ''imitatio'', "a copying, imitation") is a behavior whereby an individual observes and replicates another's behavior. Imitation is also a form of learning that leads to the "development of traditions, and ultimately our cu ...

'' and contributed to multiple original soundtracks as a member of Shax, a fictional idol group in the series.

Early life

Choi Jongho was born on October 12, 2000, in Nowon-gu, Seoul, South Korea. Jongho graduated from and . He is currently enrolled in in the Department of Broadcasting and Entertainment.

Career

2017: Pre-debut

In 2017, Jongho was introduced as one of the trainees from

KQ Entertainment KQ Entertainment (), formerly known as Seven Seasons, is a South Korean entertainment company founded in 2016 by Kim Kyu-wook. KQ Entertainment, is home to the K-pop groups Ateez and Xikers, and manages two labels: Seven Seasons, Block B's lab ...

on the

JTBC JTBC (shortened from Joongang Tongyang Broadcasting Company; ; stylized in all lowercase) is a South Korean nationwide pay television network. Its primary shareholder is JoongAng Holdings, with a 25% stake. It was launched on December 1, ...

survival reality show

Mix Nine ''Mix Nine'' () is a South Korean reality competition show broadcast on JTBC. In the show, YG Entertainment founder and producer Yang Hyun-suk traveled to music agencies across Korea to find up-and-coming K-pop stars. Throughout the episodes, con ...

. He was eliminated in the tenth episode with a final ranking of 43. He was then introduced as a member of the pre-debut group "KQ Fellaz" alongside seven others, all of whom are now part of the boy group Ateez.

2018–present: Debut with Ateez

On October 24, 2018, Jongho officially debuted as the main vocalist of KQ Entertainment's first boy group, "

" with the debut EP Treasure EP.1: All to Zero. Under the group's name, Jongho has performed one solo song: "Everything", which he co-wrote as a part of Ateez fourth studio album The World EP.Fin: Will.

2020–present: Solo activities and actor debut

From May 2020 to May 2022, Jongho released covers of Korean drama original soundtracks under the project name "JJongST" (). The music videos accompanying the covers feature Jongho visiting and singing at the location where the respective dramas are shot. Other than JJongST, Jongho also released other covers including "Wild Flower" by

Park Hyo-shin Park Hyo-shin (; born September 1, 1981) is a South Korean singer and musical theatre actor. Following his debut as a singer in 1999, Park released numerous hit songs in the 2000s, including "Good Person" (2002), "Snow Flower" (2004) and "Me ...

, " Ditto" by

NewJeans NewJeans (), also known as NJZ (), is a South Korean girl group formed by ADOR, a sub-label of Hybe Corporation, Hybe. The group is composed of five members: Minji (singer), Minji, Hanni (singer), Hanni, Danielle Marsh, Danielle, Haerin, and H ...

with Maddox, "Dear Name" by IU with Ateez San, and "Tell Me That You Love Me" by James Smith. In 2021, Jongho debuted as an actor in the

KBS2 KBS 2TV is a South Korean free-to-air Free-to-air (FTA) services are television (TV) and radio services broadcast in unencrypted form, allowing any person with the appropriate receiving equipment to receive the signal and view or listen ...

drama ''

'' with the role Hyuk, the youngest member of a fictional group Shax. In August 2022, Jongho participated in the contest to crown 184th Generation Mask King in the show ''

King of Mask Singer ''The King of Mask Singer'' () is a South Korean singing competition program presented by Kim Sung-joo, with introductions by voice actor . It airs on MBC on Sunday, starting from April 5, 2015 as a part of MBC's '' Sunday Night'' programming ...

'' with the stage name "Steamed Cypresses". In September 2022, Jongho released the soundtrack "A Fairy Tale of Youth" for the reality show '' Young Actors' Retreat''. In the same year, Jongho released the soundtrack titled "Gravity" for the drama ''

''. In February 2023, Jongho released the soundtrack for the historical drama '' Our Blooming Youth'' titled "Wind". In May 2023, Jongho took part in '' Immortal Songs: Singing the Legend'' and performed the song "So You" by Yarn. In June, he returned to the show with the song "Things to do Tomorrow" by

Sung Si-kyung Sung Si-kyung (; born April 17, 1979) is a South Korean singer, entertainer and television host. He debuted in 2001 and has released eight studio albums in Korean and two studio albums in Japanese. He has also hosted and appeared on numerous So ...

. In May 2024, Jongho released the soundtrack "A Day" for the drama ''

''. From November 2024 to January 2025, Jongho appeared on

''Moving Voices'' in Munich, Germany alongside

Hongjoong Kim Hong-joong (; born November 7, 1998), mononymously known as Hongjoong, is a South Korean rapper, singer, producer, and songwriter. He debuted as the leader of the South Korean boy band Ateez in 2018. As of May 2025, he has 154 songs credite ...

Bae Suzy Bae Su-ji (; born October 10, 1994), anglicized as Bae Suzy or known mononymously as Suzy, is a South Korean singer and actress. She is a former member of the girl group Miss A under JYP Entertainment. In 2017, she made her solo debut with th ...

Henry Lau Henry Lau (; ; born October 11, 1989), known mononymously as Henry, is a Canadian singer-songwriter, multi-instrumentalist, and record producer based in South Korea and China. He debuted in 2008 as a member of Super Junior-M and launched his ...

Sunwoo Jung-a Sunwoo Jung-a (, born May 11, 1985), stylized as Sunwoojunga, is a South Korean musician, singer-songwriter, and record producer who has worked with numerous Korean artists including IU (singer), IU, Suran (singer), Suran, GD & TOP, 2NE1, Lee ...

, and

Sohyang Kim So-hyang (, born April 5, 1978), known mononymously as Sohyang, is a South Korean singer-songwriter. According to Sohyang, her goal is to use her voice to comfort people who are going through difficult times. Sohyang is also an author of fic ...

. On December 14, 2024, Jongho collaborated with

STAYC STAYC (; , acronym for Star to a Young Culture) is a South Korean girl group formed by High Up Entertainment. The group is composed of six members: Sumin, Park Si-eun (entertainer), Sieun, Isa, Seeun, Yoon, and J. Mainly produced by K-pop duo ...

Sieun for a duet performance of "When It Snows" by Lee Mu-jin for the 2024 Music Bank Global Festival in Japan. On April 7, 2025, Kwon Soon-kwan of the South Korean indie band No Reply released the digital single "Our Memories" () featuring Jongho.

Personal life

On August 26, 2023, KQ entertainment announced that Jongho would suspend his activities to undergo surgery and rehabilitation for his meniscus rupture. On October 12, 2023, it was announced that Jongho would be returning from his hiatus and joining the rest of Ateez for "M Countdown in France" on October 15, avoiding intense choreography and performing while sitting or standing.

Discography

As featured artist

Soundtrack appearances

Filmography

Television series

Television shows

Composition credits

All song credits are adapted from the

Korea Music Copyright Association The Korea Music Copyright Association (KOMCA) is a South Korean non-profit copyright collective for musical works, administering public performance and broadcasting rights, and mechanical recording and reproduction rights. Founded in 1964, it ...

's database unless stated otherwise.

Awards and nominations

Listicles

Notes

References

K-pop singers Living people 2000 births Entertainers from Seoul South Korean male pop singers 21st-century South Korean singers 21st-century South Korean male singers Korean-language singers South Korean male idols Mix Nine contestants Ateez members

External links

* * {{Ateez