Kim Jong-hyeong (, born April 13, 2002), better known mononymously as Jonghyeong, is a South Korean singer and musical actor. He is the leader of the South Korean

boy band A boy band is a vocal group consisting of young male singers, usually in their Teenage, teenage years or in their twenties at the time of formation. Generally, boy bands perform love songs marketed towards girls and young women. Many boy bands ...

DKZ DKZ (; formerly Dongkiz; , stylized in all caps) is a South Korean boy band formed and managed by Dongyo Entertainment. The group comprises Sehyeon, Mingyu, Park Jae-chan, Jaechan, Jonghyeong, and Giseok, and previously Wondae, Munik, and Kyoung ...

and a member of its sub-unit Nine to Six. He starred in musical productions such as ''

Equal Equal(s) may refer to: Mathematics * Equality (mathematics). * Equals sign (=), a mathematical symbol used to indicate equality. Arts and entertainment * ''Equals'' (film), a 2015 American science fiction film * ''Equals'' (game), a board game ...

'', ''Dracula'', and ''The Secret Garden''.

Early life and education

Kim Jong-hyeong was born on April 13, 2002, in

Gumi, North Gyeongsang Gumi (; ) is the second largest and most densely populated city in North Gyeongsang Province, South Korea. It is located on the Nakdong River, halfway between Daegu and Gimcheon, also lies on the Gyeongbu Expressway and Gyeongbu Line railway whic ...

, South Korea. Jonghyeong enjoyed watching music shows when he was young which inspired him to become an idol. Before debuting, he was leading a dance club at school and was even elected as the overall vice president during his elementary days. In 2022, he entered Global Cyber University as a Broadcasting and Entertainment major.

Career

DKZ

Jonghyeong was the fourth member to join his current label and was a

trainee A trainee is commonly known as an individual taking part in a trainee program within an organization after having graduated from technical and higher courses. A trainee is an official employee of the firm that is being trained to the job they we ...

for several months. He officially debuted on April 24, 2019, as the youngest member of the

quintet A quintet is a group containing five members. It is commonly associated with musical groups, such as a string quintet, or a group of five singers, but can be applied to any situation where five similar or related objects are considered a single ...

boy group, Dongkiz. In an interview, Jonghyeong mentioned

Dean Dean may refer to: People * Dean (given name) * Dean (surname), a surname of Anglo-Saxon English origin * Dean (South Korean singer), a stage name for singer Kwon Hyuk * Dean Delannoit, a Belgian singer most known by the mononym Dean * Dean Sw ...

and

Monsta X Monsta X (; stylized as MONSTA X) is a South Korean boy group formed through the reality survival program ''No.Mercy'' under Starship Entertainment. The group is currently composed of six members: Shownu, Minhyuk, Kihyun, Hyungwon, Jooho ...

as artists he look up to the most. On March 18, 2022, his group rebranded and changed its name to DKZ. Jonghyeong took the role of the group's leader in the absence of their former leader and member, Wondae. In May 2022, he and fellow member, Jaechan, became fixed

radio DJ A radio personality is a person who has an on-air position in radio broadcasting. A radio personality who hosts a radio show is also known as a radio host (North American English), radio presenter (British English) or radio jockey. Radio personali ...

s at KBS Cool FM's ''Station Z''. On May 18, 2023, Dongyo Entertainment announced the formation of Nine to Six, a duo sub-unit consisting of Jonghyeong and Mingyu. They officially debuted on May 31, upon the release of their first single album ''Good To You''.

Solo activities

Jonghyeong started his career in

musicals Musical theatre is a form of theatrical performance that combines songs, spoken dialogue, acting and dance. The story and emotional content of a musical – humor, pathos, love, anger – are communicated through words, music, movement ...

in 2022. He made his theatrical debut in the musical ''Equal'' alongside his fellow member Kyoungyoon. It was then followed by the Korean production of ''Dracula'' where he was cast as Dracula's friend, Dumitru. In February 2023, Jonghyeong was announced to be part of the musical ''

The Secret Garden ''The Secret Garden'' is a children's novel by Frances Hodgson Burnett first published in book form in 1911, after serialisation in ''The American Magazine'' (November 1910 – August 1911). Set in England, it is seen as a classic of English c ...

''. He also portrayed Polidori, an English writer and physician, in the 2023 South Korean musical ''Mary Shelley'' in December. On October 18, 2023, Jonghyeong performed for the ''Brandon Lee Symphony OST Concert'' with the Theater Philharmonic Orchestra at the

Sejong Center for the Performing Arts Sejong Center for the Performing Arts () is the largest arts and cultural complex in Seoul, South Korea. It has an interior area of 53,202m². It is situated in the center of the capital, on Sejongno, a main road that cuts through the capital city ...

Discography

Music credits

Filmography

Television series

Web series

Musicals

Radio shows

Awards and nominations

References

External links

* {{Instagram, id=jh_dkz, name=Jonghyeong 2002 births Living people K-pop singers South Korean male pop singers 21st-century South Korean male actors 21st-century South Korean male singers South Korean male idols People from Gumi, North Gyeongsang Musicians from North Gyeongsang Province Male actors from North Gyeongsang Province