Little is known of the early life of Seosan Daesa (Korean: 서산대사, Hanja: 西山大師) other than that he was born in 1520 and that he became a monk. As was common for monks in this time, he travelled from place to place, living in a succession of monasteries. Buddhist monks had been forced to keep a low profile since General Yi Seonggye had been forced to eject Buddhism from its state of total permeation of government, in order to gain the support of Neo-Confucian scholar-officials to consolidate his position against his Buddhist political opponents when he overthrew King Gongyang in 1392 to become King Taejo of Joseon.

Before ever having tested his hand as a military commander, Seosan was a first-rate Seon (Zen) master and the author of a number of important religious texts, the most important of which is probably his "Seongaguigam (禪家龜鑑)", a guide to Seon practice which is studied by Korean monks even today. Like most monks of the Joseon period, Seosan had been initially educated in Neo-Confucian philosophy. Dissatisfied, though, he wandered through the mountain monasteries. Later, after making a name for himself as a teacher, he was made arbiter of the Seon school by King Myeongjong, who was sympathetic towards Buddhism. He soon resigned from this responsibility, though, returning to the itinerant life, advancing his Seon studies and teaching at monasteries all around Korea.

Yoon Eun-hye (Korean: 윤은혜; born October 3, 1984) is a South Korean actress, singer, entertainer and model. She debuted as a member of girl group Baby V.O.X, staying with the group from 1999 to 2005. Yoon has since moved on to acting, including a role in Princess Hours, as well as The 1st Shop of Coffee Prince.

Yoon Eun Hye debuted as a member of Baby V.O.X at the age of 15, replacing an ex-member (Lee Gai) in 1999. Yoon was the sub-vocal in the group, known for her cuteness and child-like traits. Being the youngest member of the group, she received little attention and was often overshadowed by her other four members.

Following her replacement, the group released their third album Come Come Come in 1999. This album became their first major success, with their singles “Get Up” and “Killer” reaching the number one spot on the Korean music pop charts. Since then, the group released many hit albums which garnered them not just a large loyal fan base in Korea, but also in China, Thailand and other Asia markets.

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.

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.