| U-Know Yunho | |
|---|---|
| Birth name | Jung Yunho |
| Also known as | 유노윤호, 瑜鹵允浩 (U-Know Yunho), ユンホ (Yunho) |
| Born | February 6, 1986 , Gwangju, South Korea |
| Genres | Pop, R&B, electropop |
| Occupations | Singer, dancer, rapper, model, actor |
| Years active | 2003–present |
| Labels | SM Entertainment, Avex Trax |
| Associated acts | TVXQ, SM Town |
| Birth name | |
|---|---|
| Hangul | 정윤호 |
| Hanja | 鄭允浩 |
| Revised Romanization | Jeong Yunho |
| McCune–Reischauer | Chŏng Yunho |
Jung Yunho (born February 6, 1986), better known by his stage names, U-Know, U-Know Yunho (in South Korea) and Yunho (ユンホ) (in Japan), is a Korean singer and occasional actor. He is the leader of the South Korean boyband and now duo TVXQ.
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U-Know was born and raised in Gwangju, South Korea. He has a younger sister, Jung Ji-hye. At the age of thirteen he joined SM Entertainment, after winning a dance competition.
Before debuting in 2003, U-Know appeared in label-mate Dana's music video for her song "Diamond" as a backup dancer and rapper.[1]
He has said he chose his stage name to be U-Know because as the leader of the group, he wants to understand everybody as in "I know you." and "I know that you know that I know you, so you know that I know that we know each other".[2]
In 2003, Yunho debuted as the leader of the boyband TVXQ along with Max Changmin, Xiah Junsu, Hero Jaejoong, and Micky Yoochun.
For The 2nd Asia Tour Concert 'O', U-know performed his self-composed song Spokesman. He and band-mate Micky are also featured rappers in "Heartquake" from Super Junior's Third Album, Sorry, Sorry.[3] For the Tohoshinki 4th Live Tour 2009: The Secret Code in Tokyo Dome, U-know performed his self-composed song Checkmate in Japanese.[4]
In February 2010, it was announced that U-know would be performing in the Korea leg of the posthumous concert This Is It dedicated to legendary icon Michael Jackson. He trained in Los Angeles and Las Vegas with Genevieve Cleary, Morris Pleasure, and others who worked closely with Jackson. The project was the first joint production between Korea and the U.S.[5]
On April 3, 2010, Avex announced the hiatus of TVXQ's Japanese activities and that it would focus on helping each member with their solo activities.[6] Avex announced later that month that Jaejoong, Yoochun and Junsu would appear as (JYJ) in the Thanksgiving Live in Dome concert in Japan.[7]
From August to September 2010, Yunho and Changmin performed as TVXQ in Seoul, Los Angeles and Shanghai as part of the SMTown Live '10 World Tour.[8] The duo performed a special stage with the new single 'Maximum' on the show and 'Why' by U-know himself.
On November 23, 2010, SM Entertainment announced that TVXQ would be returning as a duo consisting of U-Know Yunho and Max Changmin in early 2011.[9] On November 24, 2010, Avex Entertainment, as well as SM Entertainment Japan, released a statement regarding the renewal of SM artists' contracts with Avex, including TVXQ who would continue as a duo under Avex Trax.[10]
U-Know has appeared on two televised shows with TVXQ, Banjun Theater and Vacation.[11][12]
In 2006, U-know made an appearance guest in Rainbow Romance.
In July 2009, he was cast in the MBC miniseries "Heading to the Ground" (Hangul: 맨땅에 헤딩).[13][14]
On September 2010, he starred in the Korea Tourism Promotional Movie "Haru: An Unforgettable Day in Korea" as an action movie star.
Yunho was casted in June 2010 to share the lead role Prince Shin in the musical remake of "Goong".
U-Know also starred in "Chorus City" a film featured in the Republic of Korea Pavilion at EXPO 2010 Shanghai China.
In 2011, he's taken on making cameo appearances in two different dramas so far. Although he was expected to have a major role in SBS's "Poseidon" in the beginning of the year, the project was dropped by March 2011—due to weather conditions, cast members dropping out (Jeon Hyebin and Eric of Shinhwa, to name a few), filming setbacks, and numerous postponements. However, by late June, KBS decided to pick up the drama and start looking for actors & actresses in the new cast lineup. Yunho was to make several cameo appearances instead of return in a full role—due to his busy schedule as a member of TVXQ. Viewers got to see Yunho act opposite (fellow labelmate) Choi Siwon as a competitive rival in the first four episodes of "Poseidon".
In late November, a teaser trailer of "Living in Cheongdam-dong" showed Yunho making a cameo again. Oddly, in the first episode of "Living in Cheongdam-dong", the character he plays as is similar to his real-life personality -seeing that they both have experienced incidents of being charged with overdue manga books.
While the group was filming a variety show on October 14, 2006, U-Know was rushed to the hospital after drinking a beverage, which was laced with super glue, that had been given to him by an anti-fan. His manager quickly instructed him to vomit right afterward.[15] The anti-fan turned herself in the next day. The female suspect, whose surname is Ko, was apprehended on October 16, was a member of an anti-TVXQ website for over two years.
U-Know, who has a younger sister the same age as the culprit, contacted the police and requested that they not press charges against Ko in spite of the potentially severe consequences of what she did. He mentioned on a television show a while after he had recovered that the entire event "affected [him] more mentally than physically".[16][17] Circumstances were unclear as to how U-know drank from the open container, and how the culprit managed to enter the building of the broadcasting station.[18]
| Year | Network | Title | Role |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2005 | MBC | Rainbow Romance | Yunho (ep. 62 &64) |
| SBS | Banjun Theater First Love & Masked Protector |
Yunho | |
| 2006 | Vacation | Yunho | |
| SBS | Banjun Theater | Himself | |
| 2008 | SBS | Family Outing (Season 1) |
Guest (ep. 17 & 18) |
| 2009 | MBC | Heading To The Ground | Cha Bong Goon |
| 2010 | Haru: An Unforgettable Day in Korea | unnamed actor | |
| 2011 | KBS2 | Poseidon | Kang Eun Chul (cameo, 4 eps) |
| SBS | Running Man | Guest (ep. 27) |
|
| JTBC | Living in Cheongdam-dong | Himself (ep. 1) |
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