Yong Jun-hyung (; born Yong Jae-soon, December 19, 1989), known

mononym A mononym is a name composed of only one word. An individual who is known and addressed by a mononym is a mononymous person. A mononym may be the person's only name, given to them at birth. This was routine in most ancient societies, and remains ...

ously as Junhyung, is a South Korean singer-songwriter, record producer and actor. Junhyung rose to fame as a member of South Korean boy band Highlight (formerly known as Beast), formed in 2009. He departed from Highlight in 2019, amidst a controversy where he admitted to having watched a video of singer

Jung Joon-young Jung Joon-young (; born February 21, 1989) is a South Korean former musician and sex offender who was convicted in 2019 for gang-raping two different victims on two occasions in 2016. Jung first gained recognition in the 2012 season of the mu ...

making out with a woman, which was filmed with consent but shared without. As a solo artist, he released one extended play, ''

Flower Flowers, also known as blooms and blossoms, are the reproductive structures of flowering plants ( angiosperms). Typically, they are structured in four circular levels, called whorls, around the end of a stalk. These whorls include: calyx, m ...

'' (2013), and one full-length album, ''Goodbye 20's'' (2018). He also starred in the

Korean dramas Korean drama (), also known as K-drama or Koreanovela, refers to 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 of the Korean Wa ...

'' Monstar'' (2013) and '' Coffee, Do Me a Favor'' (2018)''.''

Early life and education

Junhyung was born in

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. He changed his birth name Yong Jae-soon () to his current name when he was in 6th grade.

Career

2007: Pre-debut

In 2007, he joined the

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 ...

Xing, which included

Kevin Woo Kevin Woo (born November 25, 1991), also known mononymously as Kevin, is a South Korean- American singer-songwriter and television host based as a in New York City. He is primarily known as a former member of South Korean boy band U-KISS fro ...

(ex-

U-KISS U-KISS (; ) is a South Korean boy band formed in 2008. Their name is an acronym, standing for Ubiquitous Korean International Idol Super Star. The group is currently composed of Soohyun, Yeo Hoon-min, Hoon, Lee Ki-seop, Kiseop, Alexander Lee ( ...

). Junhyung was known by the stage name Poppin' Dragon while in Xing.

2009–2016: Debut with Beast (now known as Highlight)

Junhyung debuted under

Cube Entertainment Cube Entertainment Inc. () is a South Korean entertainment company. The company operates as a record label, talent agency, music production company, event management and concert production company, and music publishing house. Cube are known for h ...

as a member of the boy band

Beast Beast most often refers to: * Animal, a multicellular, eukaryotic organism in the biological kingdom Animalia * The Beast (Revelation), one of three beasts described in the Book of Revelation * Monster, a type of creature found in fiction, folklo ...

in 2009. The group released their first extended play '' Beast Is the B2ST'' on October 14, 2009. The group released a total of eight extended plays and three studio albums.

2010–2018: Solo activities and discography with Highlight

In 2010, Junhyung was featured as a rapper in songs by other artists, including

Hyuna Kim Hyun-ah (; born June 6, 1992), known professionally as Hyuna (stylized as HyunA), is a South Korean singer-songwriter, rapper and model. She debuted as a member of the girl group Wonder Girls in February 2007. Upon leaving the ensemble sho ...

's debut single "

Change Change, Changed or Changing may refer to the below. Other forms are listed at Alteration * Impermanence, a difference in a state of affairs at different points in time * Menopause, also referred to as "the change", the permanent cessation of t ...

," the Asian remix of

Amerie Amerie Mi Marie Rogers Nicholson (born January 12, 1980) is an American singer, songwriter, actress and writer. She has released four studio albums to date: '' All I Have'' (2002), ''Touch'' (2005), '' Because I Love It'' (2007), '' In Love & W ...

's " Heard 'em All," and G.NA's single "I'll Back Off So You Can Live Better." In 2011, Junhyung was featured on the songs "Heartsore Story" by

Wheesung Choi Whee-sung (; February 5, 1982 – March 10, 2025), known professionally as Wheesung or by the stage name Realslow, was a South Korean R&B singer-songwriter, record producer and musical theatre actor. Career 1982-: Early life and educati ...

, "A Bitter Day" by Hyuna, "Be Quiet" by

Kim Wan-sun Kim Wan-sun (; born May 16, 1969) is a South Korean pop singer who was known in the mid-1980s and early 1990s as the "Korean Madonna" and "the dancing queen of Korean popular music's renaissance era" as well as a sex symbol for her "sexy" dancing ...

, and "Don't Act Countrified" by

ALi Ali ibn Abi Talib (; ) was the fourth Rashidun caliph who ruled from until his assassination in 661, as well as the first Shia Imam. He was the cousin and son-in-law of the Islamic prophet Muhammad. Born to Abu Talib ibn Abd al-Muttalib an ...

. Junhyung released his first solo single, "Living Without You," on February 3, 2012. The song reached #8 on the

Gaon Digital Chart The Circle Digital Chart, previously known as the Gaon Digital Chart, is the music industry standard record chart ranking the 200 most popular singles in South Korea. It provides rankings on a weekly, monthly, and yearly basis, which is based on ...

. That summer, he made a

cameo appearance A cameo appearance, also called a cameo role and often shortened to just cameo (), is a brief guest appearance of a well-known person or character in a work of the performing arts. These roles are generally small, many of them non-speaking on ...

on the sitcom '' Salamander Guru and The Shadows.'' Later that year, Junhyung produced fellow Beast member

Yang Yo-seob Yang Yo-seob (; born January 5, 1990), known mononymously as Yoseob, is a South Korean singer and musical actor. He is the main vocalist of the boy group Highlight. Biography Yang was born in Seoul, South Korea on January 5, 1990, in a small f ...

's debut solo EP, '' The First Collage'', and was featured on the lead single, "Caffeine." In February 2013, Junhyung released the single "You Got Some Nerve" with LE of

EXID EXID (; ; initialism for "Exceed in Dreaming") is a South Korean girl group formed in 2012. The group consists of five members: Solji, Elly, Hani, Hyelin, and Jeonghwa. EXID debuted in February 2012, with the single "Whoz That Girl". Thou ...

and Feeldog of

Big Star Big Star was an American rock band formed in Memphis, Tennessee in 1971 by Alex Chilton (vocals, guitar), Chris Bell (vocals, guitar), Jody Stephens (drums), and Andy Hummel (bass). They have been described as the "quintessential American ...

. The song reached #13 on the Gaon Digital Chart. Starting in May, Junhyung starred in the Korean drama '' Monstar'', alongside Ha Yeon-soo and

Kang Ha-neul Kim Ha-neul (; February 21, 1990), known professionally as Kang Ha-neul (), is a South Korean actor. He gained early recognition through television dramas such as ''The Heirs'' (2013), '' Misaeng: Incomplete Life (2014)'', and '' Moon Lovers: S ...

. The series aired on

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, ...

and wrapped up in August. Junhyung won Best New Actor at the 2013 Korean Drama Awards for his depiction of a

teen idol A teen idol is a celebrity with a large teenage fan base. Teen idols are generally young but are not necessarily teenagers themselves. An idol's popularity may be limited to teens, or may extend to all age groups. By region Asia Ea ...

in the series. Junhyung released his debut solo EP, ''

,'' on December 13, 2013. The EP debuted at #4 on the

Gaon Album Chart The Circle Album Chart, previously known as the Gaon Album Chart, is a record chart ranking the 100 most popular albums, extended plays and single albums in South Koreabased on their Record sales, physical sales. It is a part of the Circle Chart, ...

, and the title track "Flower" peaked at #23 on the Gaon Digital Chart. In 2015, Junhyung starred in the

online reality series, ''Yong Jun-hyung's Good Life,'' alongside his songwriting and music production partner Kim Tae-joo. From 2016 to 2017, he co-hosted the third season of the variety show '' Hitmaker'' alongside comedian

Jeong Hyeong-don Jung Hyung-don (; born March 15, 1978) is a South Korean comedian and television host. He is best known for his roles on the variety shows ''Infinite Challenge'' and ''Weekly Idol''. Early life and education Jung was born in Gimcheon in North ...

. In 2017, Junhyung was also a cast member on the first season of the variety show '' It's Dangerous Beyond the Blankets.'' He returned to the show for the second season in 2018. In 2016, Beast left Cube Entertainment, and formed their own label,

Around Us Entertainment Around Us Entertainment is a South Korean independent entertainment company established by Yoon Doo-joon, Yang Yo-seob, Lee Gi-kwang, Son Dong-woon, and Yong Jun-hyung from boy group Highlight, formerly known as Beast, after leaving their form ...

. The group debuted under the new name of Highlight. As Highlight, they released two extended plays.' Junhyung released his first solo full-length album, ''Goodbye 20's'', on May 9, 2018. The album debuted at #2 on the Gaon Album Chart. That year, he also starred in the Korean drama, '' Coffee, Do Me a Favor'', which is based on the

webtoon Webtoons () are a type of episodic digital comics that originated in South Korea usually meant to be read on smartphones A smartphone is a mobile phone with advanced computing capabilities. It typically has a touchscreen interface, allo ...

of the same name.

2019–2021: Career hiatus

On March 14, Junhyung announced on

Instagram Instagram is an American photo sharing, photo and Short-form content, short-form video sharing social networking service owned by Meta Platforms. It allows users to upload media that can be edited with Social media camera filter, filters, be ...

that he was leaving Highlight, following new revelations regarding the KakaoTalk chatrooms scandal, saying he had watched a video sent to him by

, which was later revealed being a video of Jung and a woman making out in a bar which was filmed with consent but shared to him without, and in one other instance having got knowledge of Jung filming another woman without her consent. On November 15, 2021, Junhyung left Around Us Entertainment after his contract expired.

2022–present: Solo activities

On September 27, 2022, it was announced that Junhyung would be releasing a new album in the near future, which would be his first solo comeback in four years and also his first since his departure from Around Us Entertainment. On October 11, he announced his first EP ''Loner'', set to release on October 30, under his independent label Black Made. In October 2022 it was confirmed that Junhyung will hold his solo concert 'LONER's ROOM' at Yes24 Live Hall in Seoul on November 4 and 5, and will make a comeback with his new EP album "Loner" on October 30. However, the label announced the postponement of the album due to the national mourning period following the

Seoul Halloween crowd crush On 29 October 2022, around 22:20, a Crowd collapses and crushes, crowd surge occurred during Halloween festivities in the Itaewon neighborhood of Seoul, South Korea, killing 159 people and wounding 196 others. The death toll includes two people ...

incident on the 29th. And his solo concert was postponed as well. Junhyung has confirmed the release schedule for the new album on November 10. On March 2, 2023, Junhyung will release "POST IT" (Feat. Xion) with the same name and "Til' the End", both composed by him.

Controversy

On March 11, 2019, the television program '' SBS Eight O'Clock News'' incorrectly reported that Junhyung was part of a group chatroom where musician

shared hidden camera sex videos with acquaintances. On March 12, Junhyung clarified that, even though he had a chat with Jung, he was not part of the group chatroom. Seoul Metropolitan Police stated in April that they questioned him as a witness in the Jung Joon-young KakaoTalk chatrooms case. In December, ''

KBS News The Korean Broadcasting System (KBS; ) is the national broadcaster of South Korea. Founded in 1927, it is one of the leading South Korean television and radio broadcasters under the government of South Korea. The KBS operates seven radio ne ...

'' reported that the video Jung had sent to Junhyung depicted Jung consensually touching and filming a woman in a bar in

Gangnam Gangnam (), sometimes referred to as the Greater Gangnam Area, is a geographic and cultural region in Seoul. While Gangnam can refer to the entire region of Seoul south of the Han River, the region is generally defined as consisting of the city ...

in November 2015, but the video was shared without her consent.

Other activities

Philanthropy

On March 7, 2022, Yong donated 10 million won to the Hope Bridge Disaster Relief Association to help the victims of the massive wildfire that started in Uljin, Gyeongbuk and has spread to Samcheok, Gangwon.

Personal life

Military service

He quietly enlisted for his mandatory military service on April 2, 2019 as an active duty soldier. On September 25, 2020, it was announced that Junhyung had suffered a knee injury, and he would complete the rest of his service as a public service worker. He was discharged on February 26, 2021.

Relationship

On July 8, 2024,

and Yong's agencies jointly released an official statement saying that the two will be getting married in October. Their wedding ceremony will be held in private with their close friends.

Discography

* ''Goodbye 20's'' (2018)

Filmography

Reality shows

Variety shows

Dramas

Concert

* LONER's ROOM (2023)

Awards and nominations

References

External links

* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Yong, Jun-Hyung Highlight (band) members 1989 births K-pop singers Living people Cube Entertainment artists South Korean hip-hop singers South Korean male pop singers South Korean male television actors South Korean male idols South Korean male rappers South Korean hip-hop musicians South Korean singer-songwriters South Korean record producers Rappers from Seoul Anyang Arts High School alumni South Korean male singer-songwriters South Korean hip-hop record producers Male actors from Seoul 21st-century South Korean rappers