Oricon Inc. (株式会社オリコン, Kabushiki-gaisha Orikon^?), established in 1999, is the holding company at the head of a Japanese corporate group that supplies statistics and information on music and the music industry in Japan. It started as Original Confidence Inc. (株式会社オリジナルコンフィデンス, Kabushiki-gaisha Orijinaru Konfidensu^?), which was founded by Sōkō Koike in November 1967 and became known for its music charts.^[1] Oricon Inc. was originally set up as a subsidiary of Original Confidence and took over the latter’s Oricon record charts in April 2002.

They are compiled using data drawn from some 39,700 retail outlets (as of April 2011) and provide sales rankings of music CDs, DVDs, electronic games, and other entertainment products based on weekly tabulations.^[3] Results are announced every Tuesday and published in Oricon Style by subsidiary Oricon Entertainment Inc. The group also lists panel survey-based popularity ratings for television commercials on its official website.^[3]

History[link]

This section requires expansion.

Original Confidence Inc., the original Oricon company, was founded by the former Snow Brand Milk Products promoter Sōkō Koike in 1967. That November, the company began publishing a singles chart on an experimental basis. Entitled Sōgō Geinō Shijō Chōsa (総合芸能市場調査^?) (it means "surveys of total entertainment markets"), this went official on January 4, 1968.

Like the preceding Japanese music charts provided by Tokushin Music Report which was started in 1962,^[4] early Original Confidence was an exclusive information magazine only for the people who worked in the music industry. However, in the 1970s, Koike willingly advertised his company's charts to make its existence prevail among Japanese public. Thanks to his intensive promotional efforts on the multiple media including television programs, the hit parade became known by its abbreviation "Oricon" by the late 1970s.

The company shortened its name to Oricon in 1992 and was split into a holding company and several subsidiaries in 1999. Since Sōkō Koike's death, Oricon has been managed by the founder's relatives. In 2004, Hirakawachi 1-chome made Oricon history by reaching the 7th spot, making their debut, Enpitsu de tsukuru uta , the youngest j-pop male artists' album charted in the top 10.

Policy[link]

Oricon monitors and reports on sales of CDs, DVDs, video games, and entertainment content in several other formats; manga and book sales were also formerly covered. Charts are published every Tuesday in Oricon Style and on Oricon’s official website. Every Monday, Oricon receives data from outlets, but data on merchandise sold through certain channels does not make it into the charts. For example, the debut single of NEWS, a pop group, was released only through 7-Eleven stores, which are not covered by Oricon, and its sales were not reflected in the Oricon charts. Oricon’s rankings of record sales are therefore not completely accurate. Before data was collected electronically, the charts were compiled on the basis of faxes that were sent from record shops.

Controversy[link]

In 2006, Oricon sued journalist Hiro Ugaya when he was quoted in a Cyzo magazine article suggesting that Oricon was fiddling its statistics to benefit certain management companies and labels, specifically Johnny and Associates.^[5]

Oricon does not include download sales. In Japan, Single sales decreased sharply in 2000s while download sales hit 3 or 4 times of Single sales.^[6]

Shareholders[link]

(as of October 31, 2010)

• LitruPond LLC - 28.78%
• Ko Koike - 10.57%
• Hikari Tsushin, Inc. - 5%
• DHC Corp. - 1.61%
• Yahoo! Japan - 1.53%
• NTT Resonant Inc. - 1.53%

Charts[link]

Current charts[link]

• Singles Chart (1968-01-04–)
• Albums Chart (1987-10-05–)
• Karaoke Chart (1987-12-26–)
• Tracks Chart (2004-06-06–)
• DVD Chart (1999-04-05–)
• Long Hit Album Catalogue Chart (2001-04-02–)

Past charts[link]

• LP Chart (1970-01-05–1989-11-27)
• CT Chart (1974-12-02–1989-11-27)
• MD Chart (Unknown)
• LD Chart (Unknown–2000-02-07)
• VHD Chart (Unknown–1989-11-27)
• Cartridges Chart (1974-12-02–1978-04-24)
• Sell-Video Chart (1974-02-06–2005-05-30)
• All-Genre Formats Ranking (1984-05-24–2001-04-02)
• Game Soft Chart (1995-02-20–2005-11-28)
• Comics Chart (1995-02-06–2001-03-26)
• New Media Chart (January 2004–2005)

Best Selling Singles Of All Time[link]

Best Selling Albums of All Time[link]

^[7]

See also[link]

• List of number-one albums (Japan)

References[link]

External links[link]

• Oricon website (Japanese)

v t e Music of Japan Traditional music Instruments Genres and styles Bushi Danmono Gagaku Jōruri Min'yō Nagauta Modern music (20th-21st century) Enka Eurobeat Group sounds Hardcore punk Hip hop Pop Rock Ska Noise Jazz Kayōkyoku Onkyokei Reggae Rōkyoku Ryūkōka Shibuya-kei Visual kei (Nagoya kei) Ethnic and regional music Ainu music Rekuhkara Ryukyu Islands Festivals B-Boy Park Concert on the Rock Firefox Rock Festival Fuji Rock Festival Heart-Aid Shisen Independence-D Live under the sky Loud Park Festival Mount Fuji Jazz Festival Newport Jazz Festival in Madarao Rising Sun Rock Festival Rock in Japan Festival Saito Kinen Festival Matsumoto Songs Day Summer Sonic Festival Tokyo Music Festival Yamaha Music Festival Yamaha Popular Song Contest Charts Japan Hot 100 Oricon RIAJ Digital Track Chart National anthem "Kimigayo" Other topics Awards List of Japanese musicians List of musical artists from Japan List of J-pop artists List of Japanese hip hop musicians Music in Japanese animation Shinto music

F.T. Island 에프티 아일랜드
F.T. Island performing during their Stand Up concert at Nokia Theatre L.A. Live, March 9, 2012
Background information
Also known as	Five Treasure Island
Origin	South Korea
Genres	Rock, Rock Ballad, K-rock, J-pop, J-rock
Years active	2007–present
Labels	FNC Music, Mnet Media (Korea)[1] AI Entertainment, Warner Music Group (Japan)
Associated acts	F.T. Triple
Website	ftisland.com
Members
Choi Jong Hun Lee Hongki Lee Jae Jin Choi Min Hwan Song Seung Hyun
Past members
Oh Won Bin

This article contains Korean text. Without proper rendering support, you may see question marks, boxes, or other symbols instead of Hangul or Hanja.

F.T. Island (Korean: 에프티 아일랜드 Japanese: エフティー・アイランド; stylized as FTISLAND), short for Five Treasure Island, is a five-member South Korean pop/rock band. The members are Choi Jong Hun (guitar and keyboard), Lee Hongki (lead vocals) Lee Jae Jin (bass and vocals), Song Seung Hyun (guitar and vocals), and Choi Min Hwan (drums). Their debut album, titled "Cheerful Sensibility", was the sixth best-selling album in 2007. Their debut song "Lovesick" topped the K-Pop charts for eight consecutive weeks.^[2] Oh Won Bin was a member of the band until the beginning of 2009.

Career[link]

[edit] 2007: Debut and Cheerful Sensibility

Although F.T. Island's first album, Cheerful Sensibility, was scheduled to be released commercially in May 2007, the members appeared on the show "Wanna be my girlfriend?" (Korean: 두근두근 여친만들기) on the Korean television channel MNet. The band also performed on stage live at Rolling Hall and held their first official showcase at Live House Melon-AX, Gwangjang-dong in Seoul on May 27, 2007.^[3]

On June 7, 2007 the group performed their debut song Love Sick on the music television program M!Countdown; their debut album, Cheerful Sensibility, was released on the same day.

Cheerful Sensibility combined 13 songs that were loosely divided into two parts, “Emotional Chapter” and “F.T. Island Chapter”, according to the genre of the songs.^[4] The “Emotional Chapter” consists of rock ballads. The "F.T. Island Chapter" was produced by the Japanese composers who worked with the Japanese band, SMAP and is composed of a variety of pop rock songs.^[5]

Selling over 79,000 copies in 2007, it was the sixth best-selling album of the year.^[6] The album was re-released on December 3, 2007, titled The Refreshment, with three extra songs, a photobook, a stack of photocards, and a mixing program called Music 2.0 which allows one to adjust the levels of the instruments and vocals. This edition sold 25,724 copies in December 2007.^[6]

[edit] 2008: Japanese Debut, Colorful Sensibility, and other activities

After debuting in Korea, FNC Music moved F.T. Island's activities overseas. On March 31, 2008, an autograph session in Malaysia at the Damansara Cineleisure was held, which was to be follow the next day by the group's first concert at the Sunway Lagoon Amphitheater.^[7] The performance was cancelled, and their first concert was held in Thailand instead, at the Royal Paragon Hall on April 12, 2008. The band performed songs from their album and showcased their individual talents in their solo performances.^[8]

F.T. Island's Japanese debut album, entitled Prologue of F.T. Island, was released on June 7, 2008, with the first single released being Soyogi . The album consists of 8 songs, 2 of which are newer versions of the original songs F.T. Island and Primadonna. The last track, Always Be Mine, is an English version of First Kiss from their debut album (though the lyrics are original). Music videos were also released for Soyogi and Friendship, displaying the band's professional and youthful sides, respectively.

After their promotional activities in Japan ended, the band returned to Korea to release their second Korean album Colorful Sensibility on August 27, 2008. A follow-up EP, Colorful Sensibility Part 2, was released on October 17, 2008.

Later that year, F.T. Island released The One, their first Japanese commercial single, under an indie label AI Entertainment. The single hit #9 on the Oricon daily charts.^[9] F&C Music stated that although other Korean bands utilized the assistance of large Japanese record labels to gain popularity, F.T. Island was able to make it onto the charts without any true marketing efforts.^[10] The single also was the last official release with member Oh Won Bin before his departure.^[11]

[edit] 2009: New lineup, Jump Up, Cross & Change, and Japanese singles

On January 28, 2009, it was announced that Oh Won Bin would indeed be leaving the group,^[12] with FNC trainee Song Seung Hyun joining as a guitarist and backup vocalist.^[13] With the new lineup change, F.T. Island released the music video for their mini-album title song "Bad Woman." They also promoted it on SBS Inkigayo, and two days later, released the band's first Korean mini-album Jump Up.

On April 22, F.T. Island released their second Japanese single, I believe Myself. For the first time, members participated with lyrics and composition. For the song Moonlight Angel, member Lee Jae Jin co-wrote it and leader Choi Jong Hoon co-composed the song. I Believe Myself is the first Japanese single with member Song Seung Hyun. They held their 2009 F.T. Island Tour-I Believe Myself in cities all over Japan during the summer of 2009.^[14]

F.T. Island toured parts of Asia which include Singapore, Japan, Thailand, Taiwan, etc. to promote themselves in the summer of 2009. The showcases kicked off in Singapore during June 25 to 27.^[15]

While preparing for overseas promotions, the members were in the midst of recording their third album. On July 9, FNC Music released a jacket photo for the upcoming third album called Cross & Change. On the following day, a musc video teaser was released online, featuring kids watching their idols (played by the members themselves) on TV. The title song, called “I Hope/Barae”, was released on July 16.^[16] F.T. Island tried out a variety of music styles for Cross & Change; it includes a total of 12 songs, ranging from moving ballads to addictive songs with a bright melody. F.T. Island adopted a new fashion style and concept for the album, using a "retro" and the so-called “Bokgo” approach, which was inspired during the “jeans jeans look” from the 80s in Korea.^[17]

F.T. Island released their 3rd Japanese single, Raining, on October 21, 2009. A music video of the single's title track was released. Leader Choi Jong Hoon played the piano for the title song instead of the guitar.^[18]

F.T. Island's sub-group: F.T. Triple

The three members Choi Jong Hun, Choi Min Hwan, and Lee Jae Jin formed a sub-group called F.T. Triple. Some of the reasons behind this move were to showcase more of the members' skills and to prevent lead singer, Lee Hongki, from overstraining his voice again (refer to Gayo Daejun Incident under 'Headlines' below). Another reason was to continue promoting F.T. Island while Lee Hongki was busy filming the South Korean drama "You're Beautiful" and while Song Seunghyun was busy with variety shows. At first, this trio was unofficially announced at the Dream Concert in Japan as "A3". They almost named themselves A3 because they all are blood A type. They wanted to keep the F.T. name so they added Triple at the end of it to represent that it is a trio. In F.T. triple, Lee Jaejin, originally in charge of bass for F.T. Island, becomes a guitarist and the lead vocalist; leader Choi Jonghun plays the piano and Choi Min Hwan continues to play the drums. Their first single was titled "Love Letter" and was released with F.T. Island's 2CD Repackaged Album Double Date as a second CD named Two Date that features all F.T. Triple songs.^[19]

On November 14 2009, F.T. Island embarked on a national tour entitled, "Men's Stories" which began in Seoul, South Korea. Their hit single from the album, I Hope, was very well received by their fans and the five members planned on showing their life behind the stage along with strong visuals and sounds on a more personal level for the fans. For their concert, F.T. Island emphasized their growth as a band as they begin to shed their boyish charms for a more mature and masculine appeal.^[20]

[edit] 2010: Major Debut in Japan, Beautiful Journey, and Success in Taiwan

In the months January and February, the boys started touring in Asia. The tour visited Japan, Thailand, Taiwan, Hong Kong, Philippines, and Singapore. Tickets were sold out quickly; representatives of the band believe it was due to the popularity of Lee Hong Ki starring in the drama, "You're Beautiful".

After celebrating their 1000th day in the music industry, they travelled to Japan where they stayed until the end of August to preapre for their major debut in Japan under their new major Japanese label, Warner Music Japan. They also began a new Japanese show which began airing starting 7 April 2010.^[21] On May 19, 2010, F.T. Island released their new single "Flower Rock" under Warner Music.^[22] "Flower Rock" entered the Oricon daily charts at 3rd position on May 19, 2010, the day of its release, and held the fourth position of that week.^[23] On July 14, 2010, F.T. Island released another single named "Brand-new days," which included songs written and composed by the F.T. Island members Song Seung Hyun and Choi Jong Hun. F.T. Island performed a five-city concert tour in Japan after releasing both singles.^[24][25] They also performed at the international rock festival "Summer Sonic 2010" in Maishima Arena, Osaka, Japan.^[26]

After promotions in Japan, F.T. Island focused on their comeback in Korea in mid-August 2010.^[27] Their new mini album "Beautiful Journey" and the music video for their main title song "Love Love Love" were released on August 25, 2010. F.T. Island held their comeback performance in Korean on August 27, 2010. The title song topped many popular music charts in South Korea and also gained international notice, especially in Taiwan.^[28] Choi Jong Hoon co-wrote and co-composed one of the songs, titled Don Quixote's Song, making it the first Korean song that includes the composition from F.T. Island itself. During November and December, F.T. Island balanced two separate concerts, the Beautiful Journey Concert and So Today... Concert, in both Korea and Japan.

Whilst promoting their second Korean mini-album, F.T. Island recorded another Japanese single titled So today... to be released in November. All three songs were co-written by Lee Jae Jin; the song, Boom Boom Boom, was composed by Choi Jong Hoon.^[29] The single ranked 6th on the Oricon Daily Chart. With F.T. Island’s 3rd single taking the 6th position, they now have a record of all their singles ranking top 10 in the Oricon charts.^[30] About 10,000 fans turned up at their promotional events in Osaka and Tokyo on 20 and 21 November.^[31]

Due to their immense popularity in Taiwan, F.T. Island held a concert on December 25, celebrating Christmas together with 9000 fans. F.T. Island is Korea’s first rock band to hold a big scale concert in Taiwan and they had no other special request besides asking for the best sound systems and hardware. Former vocalist and guitarist, honoured guest Oh Wonbin, performed his first single as a solo artist and a brand new song, which has yet not been released, at the concert. F.T. Island performed songs in three languages, Korean, Japanese, and Chinese.^[32] Though they have only entered the Taiwan music industry for a short period of 10 months, with an album sales record over 100,000, FT Island won favorable comments in the Chinese media.^[33] Just for the concert tickets and merchandises alone, the revenue for FTIsland’s [Beautiful Journey] concert have exceeded a total of NT$20Million. They have been named the Korean artistes who earned the most money for the end of 2010 and FTIsland also wished to visit Taiwan again soon.^[34] Four main news agencies namely, China Times, Yonhap News, Apple Daily and Liberty Times, covered news on the concert, showing the band’s high popularity. FT Island also broke several records in Taiwan with 500,000 hits on mobile downloads and 10,000,000 hits on music downloads.^[35]

[edit] 2011: Japanese Breakthrough and Return to Korea

On April 20, FTIsland released their 4th major Japanese single Satisfaction with accompanying tracks, I want and Friends, in which Choi Jonghun participated in the composition of both songs. The single reached 2nd place on the Oricon Weekly Charts. They were positioned right after Johnny’s Kanjani8. Their title song “Satisfaction” was also selected to be the ending theme song of the anime “Toriko”, generating high expectation from the public.^[36]

On May 18, FTIsland released their first major debut album in Japan, entitled Five Treasure Island. The album features songs from singles, Flower Rock, Brand New Days, So Today..., and Satisfaction; it also contains several new tracks, including the OSTs for Japanese drama, "Muscle Girl", in which member Lee Hongki played the lead male role. FTIsland set a record by being the first Korean band to top the Oricon album daily chart at 1st position. Their first Japanese regular album sold 20,410 copies on the first day, attaining the 1st position on the Oricon album daily chart. FTIsland held an album release commemorative event yesterday at Yomiuri Land and shared the joy of their result together with some 5,000 fans. FTIsland started their performance with songs from their past singles and also new album songs like “mirai”, “yume”, “Rock’n'roll”, as well as theme songs “itsuka” and “haruka” from Lee Hongki’s drama, TBS “Muscle Girl”. FTIsland expressed their happiness of attaining the 1st position on the Oricon chart, “It’s unbelievable that we’ve got the 1st position. We will work harder in future to bring even better music. Please give us lots of love and support.”^[37]

In late May, FTIsland returned to the South Korean music scene after almost an entire year away, with a mini-album aptly titled Return. The album was released on May 24. Title track Hello Hello, a fast paced rock track which records at an impressive 200 BPM, was received well by fans. The album featured five songs in total. I Confess, which leader Choi Jonghun said he wrote with their fans in mind, became their first popularised Korean release to feature all five members' vocals.

2012: Mini album 'Grown Up' and Overseas Activities[link]

F.T. Island with CN Blue during their Stand Up concert at Nokia Theatre L.A. Live, March 9, 2012

After releasing a tragic music video for their title track “Severely”, F.T. Island released their fourth mini-album, entitled ‘Grown-Up‘. Featuring five songs, ‘Grown-Up’ is composed of slow-tempo rock ballads, and, as the album title suggests, displays the group's maturation since their last release.

The album was released on January 31 and had much success. 'Grown Up' secured the #1 position on the Hanteo album chart for total album sales on both the daily and weekly charts as well as title track 'Severely' achieving an 'all-kill' on various online music charts. As soon as it was made available to the public, the album sold like hot cakes. The album was completely sold out only ten days after its release, recording some 50,000 sales. In response their agency, FNC Entertainment, had this to say, “We filled the album with ballad songs to show a change in musical style, and the response is even better than we expected." their agency stated, "The supply in the retail stores which were ordered before the release have mostly sold out, and we are currently working on additional production to meet the demand.”^[38]

On March 9, F.T. Island and fellow label-mates CNBlue performed in America for the first time at Los Angeles' Nokia Theater. ^[39]

In April, F.T. Island returned to Japan to promote their 7th Japanese single "Neverland", which was released on the 18th. “Neverland,” a fast tempo rock song, was decided to be the opening theme song of the animation Ozuma, a celebration of the 20th anniversary of Japanese broadcasting system WOWOW. Ozuma broadcasted its first episode on March 16, and is written by famous cartoonist, Matsumoto Reiji.^[40]

F.T. Island's 2nd major Japanese Album, 20[Twenty], is set to be released on May 16th.

Incidents[link]

This section contains close paraphrasing of one or more non-free copyrighted sources. Ideas in this article should be expressed in an original manner. More details may be available on the talk page. (August 2011)

F.T. Island stranded in Cebu[link]

On September 25, 2009, F.T. Island was in Cebu in the Philippines to film the music video for their Japanese single, "Raining". Due to a sudden typhoon (Typhoon Ketsana), the members were left stranded in the province. Their record company, FNC Music, attempted to communicate with the members, but were unable to reach the band. The typhoon knocked out radio contact and cut off any connection with the crew. The record company was eventually able contact with the crew later in the afternoon and confirmed that F.T. Island was safe. The filming was shortened by a few days and the band flew back to Korea two days later.^[41]

Oh Won Bin's project with Lee Hongki[link]

Former member Oh Won Bin took part in the soundtrack of drama You're Beautiful (Hangul: 미남이시네요), in which Lee Hongki costarred in.^[42] Along with Miss $, Oh Won Bin sung the cheerful second track titled "하늘에서 내려와 (Coming Down from the Sky)". Even before the album was released, this particular song has received lots of attention. Won Bin's participation created many speculations among netizens: he might return to the band, he has projects together with F.T. Island members, a new start of his solo career, or he just wants to support his old band mate. No official comment has been made yet, but Wonbin has been referenced to in FTI's members' tweets and photos.^[42]

Dorm fire[link]

On the May 3, 2011, a fire broke out at F.T. Island's dorm near Munrae-dong, Youngdeungpo-gu, Seoul. The members evacuated immediately and no one was injured. The members had finished their new album recording works and returned home to take a rest when the fire broke out. Representatives of their agency explained, "The members were able to escape to a safe location and call for help. It was not anything major or severe. Rest assured, the members are not injured and do not require a visit to the hospital." Despite it being a scary situation, the agency thought positively of the fire by calling it a sign of good luck. "The members were up late preparing for their new mini-album's music video and album jacket photoshoot before returning to their dorms to sleep. As they’ve just released their new album, Satisfaction, we consider this 'fire' a sign of good luck."^[43][44]

Members[link]

Current

• Choi Jong Hun (최종훈), born (1990-03-07) March 7, 1990 (age 22), is the leader, as well as the lead guitarist, keyboard and vocalist of the band.^[45]
• Lee Hongki (이홍기), born (1990-03-02) March 2, 1990 (age 22), is the main vocalist and visual of the band.^[46]
• Lee Jae Jin (이재진), born (1991-12-17) December 17, 1991 (age 20), is the bassist rapper and vocalist of the band.^[47]
• Song Seung Hyun (송승현), born (1992-08-21) August 21, 1992 (age 19), is the rhythm guitarist and rapper of the band.^[48]
• Choi Min Hwan (최민환), born (1992-11-11) November 11, 1992 (age 19), is the drummer, and vocalist of the band.^[49]

Former members

• Oh Won Bin (오원빈), born (1990-03-26) March 26, 1990 (age 22), was the rhythm guitarist and co-lead vocalist of the band.^[50]

Discography[link]

Awards[link]

Music Programs[link]

These are collection of FT Island wins on Korea's televised music shows. Inkigayo is aired on SBS, M! Countdown on Korea cable channel M.net, Music Bank on KBS, Music On Top on Korea cable channel jTBC and MBC Music Show Champion.

[edit] Music Bank

[edit] Inkigayo

[edit] M! Countdown

[edit] Music On Top

[edit] Show Champion

References[link]

External links[link]

• Official website
• FTisland's weibo

Won Bin
Won Bin at LG’S New Cinema 3D TV Rewrites the Rules for 3D, in February 2011
Born	Kim Do-jin (1977-11-10) November 10, 1977 (age 34) Jeongseon, Gangwon-do, South Korea
Nationality	South Korea
Ethnicity	Koreans
Education	BFTV
Alma mater	Yong-In University, Baekje Arts College
Occupation	Actor, model
Years active	1997–2005 2009–present
Agent	Eden Nine Entertainment
Height	1.78 m (5 ft 10 in)
Weight	63 kg (140 lb)
Korean name
Hangul	원빈
Hanja	元斌
Revised Romanization	Won Bin
McCune–Reischauer	Wŏn Pin
Birth name
Hangul	김도진
Hanja	金道振
Revised Romanization	Gim Do-jin
McCune–Reischauer	Kim To-jin
Website
wonbinus.co.kr
Notes [1][2][3][4][5][6]

Won Bin (Hangul: 원빈; born Kim Do-jin; Hangul: 김도진 on November 10, 1977) is a top South Korean actor and model.

Early life and beginnings[link]

Won was born and raised in a hamlet in the north of Jeongseon in Gangwon-do, South Korea. He is the fifth and youngest child, with one brother and three sisters. His father was formerly employed in a mine and his mother worked on a farm; both of his parents are now retired. As was common for other children living in mountaineous regions, Won spent most of his time playing around with friends in the mountains and rivers, and later explained: "I came back home most nights at sunset with a black and dusty face." He was frequently shy, introspective, and quiet, character traits that would continue to follow him throughout adulthood.^[7] While not talkative or outgoing, he excelled at athletics. Won started taekwondo lessons and now holds a black belt.^[8] As a young boy, he initially planned to become a car mechanic due to his interest in car racing and motorcycling. Won graduated from a mechanical high school, where he studied car repair and mechanics.

In November 1995, a cable television station was looking to recruit and hire new actors; Won applied and was accepted in his last semester of high school. He started to take acting classes at the station's headquarters and appeared in several dramas. The following month, Won signed an acting contract with a talent agency.

Career[link]

Won made his screen debut with a supporting role in the 1997 drama Propose. His role in Ready Go! (1998) helped hone his acting chops. After Ready Go!, he took a break and entered a college called Paekche Institute of the Arts in 1998 to take acting classes. In 1999, Won came back to the screen with a lead role in drama Kwangki from which he was recognized as a promising young actor and a teen heartthrob.

He made his big breakthrough in 2000 with drama Kkokji and Autumn Fairy Tale. His role as a rebellious youngest son in Kkokji proved his acting potential and his role in the widely successful drama Autumn Fairy Tale landed him on the A-list for Korean performers. Autumn Fairy Tale gained wide popularity in Asia and he became one of the most popular Korean actors in Korea and Asia as well. In 2002, Won became the first Korean actor to get wide popularity in Japan through the first Japan and Korea joint production drama Friends.

Won also had roles in several popular movies, including Guns & Talks and My Brother, but it is his portrayal of the sensitive younger brother in the blockbuster war movie Taegukgi (aka Taegukgi: The Brotherhood of War) (2004) that has truly cemented his fame in the international realm. With the success of the critically acclaimed Taegukgi, recognition of his acting skills has reached an ever-wider international audience. Taegukgi is the best selling movie in South Korea in 2004 with 11.75 million admissions.^[9]

His career was interrupted by his mandatory service to the South Korean Army. After graduating from the Graduate School of Arts in Yong-In University in 2005, Won started his military duty in November 2005 and stationed at the Korean Demilitarized Zone, a position for which he volunteered.^[10][11][12] On June 2, 2006, the military officially confirmed than Won Bin would be no longer active.^[13] The decision was made by the military when Won Bin sustained injury to his ACL. He had undergone surgery and was officially discharged on June 7, 2006.^[14] After the surgery, he had gone through rehabilitation program for more than one year to recover from the injury.

Won was appointed as UNICEF Goodwill Ambassador of the Korean Committee on September 6, 2007. He has participated in various programs and charity events in Korea for UNICEF from that time on, and has appeared in several promotional videos.

In April 2008, Won finally confirmed that his re-debut film would be Mother directed by Bong Joon-ho. Filming started in September 2008 and finished in February 2009. The film was selected to compete in the Un Certain Regard section of the 2009 Cannes Film Festival. He walked the red carpet at the film's world premiere on May 16, 2009 in the 2009 Cannes Film Festival.^[15] Won's new movie The Man from Nowhere was released in August 2010.

Filmography[link]

Films[link]

Television drama[link]

Books[link]

• 2000: "dream in HEAVEN" photobook (released in Dec 2000 in Korea, and Mar 2002 in Japan) - 100 pages photo essays with photos taken in Bali, Indonesia and Korea.
• 2002: "WWW-Wonbin Wide pinup Web" photobook (released in September in Japan) - 40 pages photo essays.
• 2005: "28 Day 'n Year Won Bin" Premium Box Set - DVD & photobook (released in February in Japan) - 60-minute DVD and 144 pages of photos with sincere essays written by Won Bin revolving around his private life and his photo session trip to the Czech Republic, Japan and Korea, as well as collector's gifts.
• 2006: "BINUS" DVD (released in March in Japan) - To show his gratitude to his fans for their years of support, Won Bin has recorded this candid, personal DVD (60 minutes) to be shared just between him and us, the fans - hence the title BINUS (BINUS is the name of his official fanclub), before fulfilling his mandatory military service. It includes revealing footage and private life, with Won Bin re-visiting many places in his hometown to share with his fans his background and childhood memories.
• 2006: "Dear Wonbin" photobook (released in May in Japan) - Designed like a diary book, with drawings by Won Bin.
• 2010: "I Love You" Private DVD & Photobook (released in December in Japan) - 105-minute DVD and photobook, filmed in Ireland

Modeling[link]

TV commercials/Advert[link]

Won Bin as LG Infinia smart TV model, in January 2011

• 1999: 018 Telecom ^[16]
• 2000: French Cafe, Dong Yang Life Insurance ^[16]
• 2001: KTF 'Magic N' Cell Phone, Dong Yang Life Insurance, Hite Beer, Namyang French Cafe, Dean Clau Eau de Toilette, Nadri Cosmetic, Haitai Potato Chips, Lotte 'Atlas' Chocolate ^[16]
• 2002: Woori Bank, Baskin-Robbins 31 Ice-cream, Namyang French Cafe, Dean Clau Eau de Toilette & men's skin-care products ^[16]
• 2003: Woori Bank, Baskin-Robbins 31 Ice-cream, Namyang French Cafe ^[16]
• 2004: Woori Bank, LG Cyon Cell Phone, Missha make-up product ^[17]
• 2005: LG Cyon Cell Phone, Missha make-up product, FORVAL I.T./Telecom (Japan) ^[17]
• 2008: Nintendo Wii Video Game, Maxim T.O.P Espresso ^[18]
• 2009: Maxim T.O.P Espresso ^[18]
• 2010: HITE MAX Beer, Maxim T.O.P Espresso, Cuckoo HomeSys, Tous Les Jours Bakery, Olympus Camera, The Face Shop, LG Beyond^[19]
• 2011: LG INFINIA Smart TV & Cinema3D TV, Cuckoo HomeSys, SK Telecom, HITE Beer, The Face Shop, LG Beyond, Maxim T.O.P Espresso, Olympus Camera, Tous Les Jours Bakery^[19]

Fashion brand spokesmodels[link]

• 1999: Clride, Yell
• 2000: Clride, Jambangee
• 2001: Jambangee, Ziozia ^[16]
• 2002: Ziozia, GIA, Visaruno of Marui 0101 Dept Store (Japan) ^[16]
• 2003: GIA, C.O.A.X., Visaruno of Marui 0101 Dept Store (Japan) ^[16]
• 2004: Omphalos, Ziozia ^[17]
• 2005: Ziozia
• 2008: Ziozia ^[18]
• 2010: Hang Ten
• 2011: CHRIS.CHRISTY, basichouse, K2 ^[19]

Awards and nominations[link]

Other awards/honors[link]

• 2002: BVLGARI Brilliant Dreams Award (Japan) ^[27]
• 2007: Appointed as UNICEF Goodwill Ambassador ^[28]
• 2011: Best Jewellery Wearer Award (Japan) ^[29]

Magazine/Media recognition[link]

• 2000: Best Dresser of the year
• 2002: Voted as the "April 2002 Most Beautiful Man" by MostBeautifulMan.com. The first Asian celebrity to win in this monthly poll.^[30]
• 2004: Chosen as one of the eight "Coolest Guy Celebrity" in the readers' survey of 9 international ELLEgirl magazines.^[31]
• 2005: Voted #1 "Favorite Asian Star" (2005) in the readers' survey by Japanese magazine "CanCam".
• 2005: Voted #1 "Favorite Asian Star" (2005) in the readers' survey by Japanese magazine "an.an".^[32]
• 2006: Voted #1 "Favorite Asian Star" (2006) in the readers' survey by Japanese magazine "an.an".
• 2007: Voted #1 "Favorite Asian Star" (2007) in the readers' survey by Japanese magazine "an.an".

Charity works[link]

As UNICEF Goodwill Ambassador, Won Bin has participated in various programs and charity events.

• 2007.09.06 - Appointed as UNICEF Goodwill Ambassador.^[28]
• 2007.10.03 - Attended the International Peace Marathon Festival in Seoul to raise fund for UNICEF.
• 2007.11.26 - Attended a charity fashion show to raise fund for UNICEF.^[33]
• 2008.02.28 - Attended the "Clean meals, Happy sharing" campaign sponsored by UNICEF and Hanwha Resort.^[34]
• 2008.06.24 - Promoting the Awoo Doll campaign.^[35]
• 2008.08.20 - Raised fund through photo project with Louis Vuitton and GQ Korea.^[36]
• 2008.11.27 - Promoting UNICEF Jumper to raise fund.
• 2008.12.22 - Visited an orphanage in Seoul and presented the children there with Christmas gifts.^[37]
• 2009.04.04-13 - Visited Gambia for UNICEF, visited relief center, hospital and schools.^[38][39]
• 2010.09.12-17 - Visited East Timor for UNICEF. watched over the vaccinations and educational work being done on site by UNICEF.^{[40][41][42][43]}

References[link]

External links[link]

Wikimedia Commons has media related to: Won Bin

• Won Bin Official Website
• Won Bin Korea Official Fanclub
• Won Bin Japan Official Fanclub
• Won Bin English Official Fanclub
• Won Bin at the Korean Movie Database
• Won Bin at the Internet Movie Database
• Won Bin at AllRovi
• Won Bin at Rotten Tomatoes
• Won Bin at HanCinema
• Won Bin Photo and Video Gallery
• Wonbin Wonderland

This article needs additional citations for verification. Please help improve this article by adding citations to reliable sources. Unsourced material may be challenged and removed. (May 2012)

Kim Hyun Joong
Kim Hyun Joong at SS501 Persona Concert 2009 Hong Kong
Background information
Birth name	김현중 (金賢重)
Born	(1986-06-06) 6 June 1986 (age 26) Seoul, South Korea
Origin	South Korea
Genres	K-pop, J-pop, Dance, R&B
Occupations	Singer, Actor, Model, Dancer, MC
Instruments	Guitar, Bass, Piano, Drums, Violin
Years active	2005–present
Labels	DSP Media (2005–2010) KeyEast (2010–present) Warner Music Taiwan (2010–present) United Asia Management (2011–present) Delicious Deli Records/Universal Music Japan (2011–present)
Associated acts	SS501 (2005-present)
Website	http://www.hyun-joong.com/

20110816 The Face Shop activities in Taiwan

Kim Hyun Joong (Hangul: 김현중, Hanja: 金賢重) was born on 6 June 1986. He is a South Korean entertainer and the leader of boyband SS501. Kim is well-known for his role as Yoon Ji Hoo in the 2009 Korean drama Boys Over Flowers, winning Best Actor Award at the Seoul International Drama Awards 2009, and Popularity Award at the 45th PaekSang Arts Awards. He is also known for playing in the late 2010 Korean drama Playful Kiss, as Baek Seung Jo. He is a style icon in Korea, winning several icon awards.

Biography[link]

Early life[link]

He dropped out of school when he decided to become a singer. During his school days, he played bass guitar in a band. During the years 2001 and 2002 when he was 14–15, while working as a waiter in a family restaurant, located at Jamsil-dong, he was introduced to a new set up management company CEO. Initially he was to debut in a 5 member group. Han Yeon of B2Y (now disbanded) was to be the Leader and Kim the maknae. While the group underwent training together, they were asked by their company to debut in China as a Hallyu project group, but the group rejected the offer and disbanded. Kim proceeded to audition for DSP Media (formerly DSP Entertainment) and became a member and leader of SS501. Kim returned to school and graduated in 2006 after debuting as a member of SS501. In 2011, he enrolled in Chungwoon University to study stage production management.^[1]

2005: Debut[link]

On 8 June 2005, Kim made his entertainment debut as the leader of SS501. The group appeared on the 2006 show, Thank You For Waking Me Up where he was proven to be a heavy sleeper, and the MNet show Idol World in 2007, in which SS501 did various activities in Japan.

In May 2008, Kim joined the cast of We Got Married in episode nine. Known as the "Lettuce Couple", Hyun Joong and Hwang Bo went on to win MBC's Best Couple Award. The couple made their official exit from the show in episode 38, on 14 December 2008, due to scheduling conflicts with Boys Over Flowers.

2009: Acting, Boys Over Flowers and H1N1[link]

Whilst in Japan in 2008, Kim was cast as Yoon Ji Hoo in the Korean drama Boys Over Flowers. A role for which he won the Best Actor Award at the Seoul International Drama Awards 2009 and the Popularity Award at the 45th PaekSang Arts Awards.

In 2009, SS501 released the album SS501 Collection, in which they each sang a solo song, along with being featured in a mini drama music video. Their Asia Concert Tour began in mid-August 2009 in Seoul at the Olympic Park. They continued their tour in Shanghai, Taipei, and Bangkok before returning to Seoul for a closing encore concert. They staged two concerts for the encore closure on 27 February and 28 February 2010 respectively.

In September 2009, during promotions in Yokohama, Japan for Boys Over Flowers, Kim was diagnosed with H1N1. He was treated in a Toyko hospital and was discharged on 15 September 2009.^[2] While recovering from H1N1, he could not attend the Seoul International Drama Awards; to accept the award on his behalf, his band mates of SS501: Heo Young Saeng, Kim Kyu Jong, and Kim Hyung Jun were present for the award show.

He has also been the spokesperson for cosmetics brand, Tony Moly, an established company with numerous branches across Korea and Asia, including Taiwan and Hong Kong. He has since ended his contract with Tony Moly at the end of September 2010, and he had been chosen to be the Spokesperson for The Face Shop. He Did A Video (M et )ru- Black Glasses starring Kim Hyun Joong!

2010: SS501 comeback, leaving DSP Media, Playful Kiss, and 2010 Asian Games[link]

In April 2010, he appeared opposite Jung Ryeo Won in the music video for Korean singer Gummy's new song "As A Man" (남자라서).

In June 2010, SS501 released an album titled Destination, produced by Steven Lee. Their title song "Love Ya" was well received, rating high in record sales and online music stores, and it went on to top Music Bank's K-Chart. However, they ended promotions after two weeks, because SS501's contract with DSP Media ended.

On 19 June 2010, he appeared at a concert in the Philippines along side BEAST.

On 28 June 2010, it was announced that Kim had officially left DSP Media and joined Bae Yong Joon's KeyEast Entertainment company.^[3] Although Kim has left DSP Media he stated that SS501's activities will be top priority in their contracts^[4] and definitely has not disbanded. Kim explained in an interview that, at the time, there wasn't a company that would accepted them as a whole, thus the group decided to take the chance to focus on their solo activities.

Kim played the lead role in the drama Playful Kiss, a Korean adaptation of Japanese shōjo manga Itazura na Kiss as Baek Seung Jo, an all round perfect genius with an IQ of 200, with co star Jung So Min as Oh Hani. On 7 November, Kim was interviewed by CNN's Anna Coren due to his success in Playful Kiss. Playful Kiss Special Edition is a big hit on Youtube as it is the first Korean drama to air on YouTube. Its first episode garnered 1 million views just in 5 days and it proved so popular that there is a record channel view of 7 million and 26 million total upload views, as of January 2012.

Kim was invited to perform at the 2010 Asian Games in Guangzhou as the representative of South Korea to sing "Sunshine Again" with other 4 other singers from Chinese-speaking countries.^[5] In early December 2010, Kim went to Singapore and Malaysia to promote The Face Shop.

2011: Solo artist[link]

In May, Kim named his official solo fanclub 'Henecia', which is a combination of 'H' and the Latin term 'benecia', which means 'blessed'.^[6]

On 8 June 2011, Kim released his first solo debut mini album, Break Down. It was produced by Steven Lee, who composed SS501's hits, "Love Like This" and "Love Ya". The title track "Break Down", featuring Double K., is a high energy dance track, with a R&B heavy "Please", as the second lead track. The album exceeded 70,000 pre-ordered copies in just 10 days.^[7] It peaked at number one on Gaon Weekly Album Chart for the week starting 5 June 2011^[8] and was the best-selling album for June on Gaon Monthly Album Chart with 100,433 copies sold. It also toped the Oricon chart in Japan in the International Imported Album category for the first week of July.^[9] The album's title track "Break Down" was the first place winner for two consecutive weeks on Mnet's M! Countdown music show, for 16 and 23 June 2011; and also won for two consecutive weeks on KBS's Music Bank.^[10] Break Down is certified platinum in Taiwan and Kim was presented with a platinum record by Warner Music Taiwan CEO Chen Ze Shan in a press conference held in Taiwan.^[11]