Lee Hong-bin (; born September 29, 1993), also known by the mononym Hongbin, is a South Korean

Twitch Twitch may refer to: Biology * Muscle contraction ** Convulsion, rapid and repeated muscle contraction and relaxation ** Fasciculation, a small, local, involuntary muscle contraction ** Myoclonic twitch, a jerk usually caused by sudden muscle c ...

streamer, former singer, actor and presenter formerly signed under

Jellyfish Entertainment Jellyfish Entertainment (), is a South Korean entertainment company established by composer and producer Hwang Se-jun in Seoul, South Korea. Jellyfish Entertainment is the home of artists including Jang Hye-jin, VIXX, Verivery, Evnne and fo ...

. He debuted as a member of the South Korean boy group

VIXX VIXX ( pronounced "vicks"; acronym for "voice, visual, value in excelsis") is a South Korean boy band formed by Jellyfish Entertainment through the 2012 reality show ''MyDOL''. Originally a sextet, the group is currently composed of four members: ...

in May 2012, and began his acting career in 2014 in SBS' romantic drama '' Glorious Day'' as Yoo Ji-ho. He has since had a leading role in

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 ...

's fantasy action-romance '' Moorim School: Saga of the Brave'' (2016) as Wang Chi-ang. In 2017, Hongbin played Yoon Jae-won in the ''

SBS Plus SBS Plus is a 24-hour drama and entertainment television channel in South Korea South Korea, officially the Republic of Korea (ROK), is a country in East Asia. It constitutes the southern half of the Korea, Korean Peninsula and borders No ...

'' rom-com mini-drama '' Wednesday 3:30 PM''. He officially left VIXX in August 2020.

Early life

Hongbin was born and raised in Jayang-dong,

Seoul Seoul, officially Seoul Special Metropolitan City, is the capital city, capital and largest city of South Korea. The broader Seoul Metropolitan Area, encompassing Seoul, Gyeonggi Province and Incheon, emerged as the world's List of cities b ...

South Korea South Korea, officially the Republic of Korea (ROK), is a country in East Asia. It constitutes the southern half of the Korea, Korean Peninsula and borders North Korea along the Korean Demilitarized Zone, with the Yellow Sea to the west and t ...

. His family consists of himself, his parents and two older sisters. Hongbin studied Musical major at Dong-ah Broadcasting College. He stayed at a Buddhist temple with his grandmother when he was a child before returning to his parents in Jayang-dong.

Career

2012-2014: Debut with VIXX and acting debut

Hongbin was one of ten trainees who were contestants in

Mnet M-Net (an abbreviation of Electronic Media Network) is a South African pay television channel established by Naspers in 1986. The channel broadcasts both local and international programming, including general entertainment, children's series, ...

's survival reality show '' MyDOL'' and was chosen to be a part of the final line-up and the six-member boy group finally debuted with " Super Hero" on May 24, 2012, on

M! Countdown ''M Countdown'' () is a South Korean music program broadcast by Mnet from the CJ E&M Center Studio in Sangam-dong, Mapo District, Seoul. It features appearances by popular music artists who also perform live on stage. First hosted by Leete ...

. During ''MyDOL''; Hongbin was featured in Brian Joo's "Let This Die" and Seo In-guk's "Tease Me" music video. In 2014, Hongbin was cast in the SBS week drama '' Glorious Day''.

2015–2018: MC-ing and acting career continues

On March 3, 2015, Hongbin joined

T-ara T-ara (; ) is a South Korean girl group formed in 2009, currently consisting of four members: Qri, Hahm Eun-jung, Eunjung, Hyomin, and Park Ji-yeon, Jiyeon. T-ara's career is marked by Hook (music), hook-heavy dance-pop music, a result of their ...

's Jiyeon and Super Junior-M's Zhou Mi as MC on

SBS MTV SBS M is a South Korean pay television music channel owned by SBS Medianet, a division of SBS Media Holdings. It features South Korean pop artists, international music, news, and a few reality and variety programs. It was launched in 2001 as t ...

's '' The Show'' from March 3, 2015, to October 13, 2015. In September 2015, Hongbin was cast in his first lead role as Wang Chi-ang in KBS2's action-romance drama '' Moorim School: Saga of the Brave''. In September 2016, Hongbin was cast alongside fellow VIXX member N and AOA's Chanmi in the web drama ''What's Up With These Kids?'' which was aired on Naver TV Cast on November 16. In March 2017, Hongbin was cast in a rom-com mini drama '' Wednesday 3:30 PM'' on

. In 2018, Hongbin was cast as a high school student who was born with hearing impairment in KBS's 10-episode drama ''Shining Sounds'', which was broadcast on National Disabled Persons Day. The same year, he was cast in the romantic comedy drama '' Witch's Love'', and mystery thriller '' The Smile Has Left Your Eyes''.

2019–present: Music career, variety shows, departure from VIXX, streaming

On July 10, 2019, Hongbin 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 ...

's Hyungwon released a collaboration song titled "Cool Love". On August 4, 2019, Hongbin was announced to be one of the cast members on the

reality show Love Catcher 2. In March 2020, Hongbin was criticized by

netizens The term ''netizen'' is a portmanteau of the English words ''internet'' and ''citizen'', as in a "citizen of the net" or "net citizen". It describes a person actively involved in online communities or the Internet in general.

and news outlets for his behavior during a Twitch stream, in which he reportedly made negative comments about other idol groups while he was drunk. Hongbin issued an apology the same day, and in May, Jellyfish announced that Hongbin would be taking a hiatus from entertainment activities. On August 6, Hongbin announced his plans to return to Twitch streaming, and on August 7, Jellyfish Entertainment announced that Hongbin decided to depart from VIXX. He began his mandatory military service on August 18. Upon his return from the military, Hongbin now streams on Twitch full time. And Since Twitch has withdrawn the South Korean Market in February 2024, he started to stream on Chzzk powered by Naver. Besides his streaming channels, he has created another YouTube channel to re-upload all his streams from 2022 until now.

Personal life

Hongbin enlisted in the military in August 2020 and was discharged on February 25, 2022, without returning to active duty in accordance with the Ministry of Defense's COVID-19 Regulations.

Filmography

Television series

Variety show

Discography

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Lee, Hong-bin Jellyfish Entertainment artists VIXX members Japanese-language singers of South Korea South Korean dance music singers South Korean male idols South Korean male pop singers 21st-century South Korean male singers South Korean male television actors Male actors from Seoul People from Gwangjin District 1993 births Living people Dong-ah Institute of Media and Arts alumni 21st-century South Korean singers Singers from Seoul South Korean Twitch (service) streamers