Park Yoo-chun

Yoochun
Background information
Native name	박유천
Birth name	Park Yoo-chun
Also known as	Micky Yoochun 믹키유천 朴有天 Yuchun (ユチュン)
Born	(1986-06-04) June 4, 1986, Seoul, South Korea
Genres	Pop, R&B
Occupation(s)	Singer-songwriter, Actor, Dancer, Model
Instruments	Vocal, Piano, Keyboard
Years active	2003–2015 (Hiatus; military service)
Labels	C-JeS Entertainment Warner Music S.M. Entertainment (2003–09) Rhythm Zone (Japan; 2004–10)
Associated acts	JYJ, TVXQ, SM Town

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Park Yoo-chun (Hangul: 박유천; hanja: 朴裕仟; born June 4, 1986), simply known as Yoochun, is a South Korean singer, songwriter, actor, dancer, and model. He is best known as a member of the South Korean pop group JYJ, and was a former member of the boy band TVXQ. Park Yoo-chun is also known by the stage names Micky Yoochun (in South Korea), Yuchun (in Japan), and 有天 (in China). However, after he left his previous band, TVXQ, he is now using Park Yoochun (JYJ) instead of Micky Yoochun (TVXQ).

Park Yoo-chun has become well known for acting in the dramas Sungkyunkwan Scandal, Miss Ripley, Rooftop Prince, Missing You, Three Days and his latest drama The Girl Who Sees Smells.

Early life

Park was born in Seoul, South Korea. His family moved to the United States when he was in the sixth grade.^[1] He lived in Fairfax, Virginia, where he attended Holmes Middle School and Chantilly High School.^[1] He returned to South Korea after he was scouted by Brothers Entertainment. He was later signed as an artist by S.M. Entertainment.^[2] He has a younger brother, Park Yu-hwan, who is also an actor.

Musical career

TVXQ

From 2003 to 2009, Park performed as a member of the best-selling K-pop boy band TVXQ. In July 2009, Park and two of his TVXQ bandmates, Jaejoong and Junsu, filed a lawsuit against their South Korean agency S.M. Entertainment. Through their lawyers, the members stated that the 13-year contract was excessively long, schedules were held out without the confirmation or permission of the members, contract terms have been extended and changed without their knowledge or consent and that the group's earnings were not fairly distributed to the members. After TVXQ's Japanese label announced a group hiatus in early 2010, they formed a new three member group initially known as JUNSU/JAEJOONG/YUCHUN in Japan.

In November 28, 2012, the legal battle between JYJ and S.M. finally ended. Both sides agreed to retiring every judicial accusation against each other and not interfering in each other's actions.

JYJ

Yoochun in 2011

In September 2010, JYJ released extended play The..., which debuted at number one on Japan's Oricon album charts.^[3] However, Avex had announced the suspension and when in Japan, the same month that year.^[4]

JYJ proceeded to release The Beginning, a global album which was sung in English. JYJ promoted the new album via a worldwide showcase tour throughout October and November with dates in South Korea, Southeast Asia and the United States.
In January 25, 2011, JYJ released Korean extended play Their Rooms "Our Story"." JYJ's second group album and first full length Korean-language album In Heaven was released September 28, 2011.

Starting from April, Park toured Asia and North America for JYJ's first Worldwide Tour.^[5] The tour was then extended to Europe and South America, adding another four stops in Spain, Germany, Chile and Peru.

In addition to being a musician, Park has also been active as an actor since 2010.

Solo singing career

Park is featured in "Tokyo Lovelight" from DJ Makai's Stars (mini-album). He was also one of the featured rappers on the song "Heartquake", a track from Super Junior's third album, Sorry, Sorry.^[6]

For "Miss Ripley", Park sang "너를 위한 빈자리 (The Empty Space for You)". It appeared in the ninth episode of the drama and was released on the "Miss Ripley" OST (Part 3).

Song writer

Park has written and composed several songs that have appeared on TVXQ's Korean and Japanese albums. As a member of SM Town, he contributed to the 2007 winter album Only Love with his composition "Evergreen". Park also wrote and composed "사랑 안녕 사랑 (Love Bye Love)", featured on the group's fourth Korean studio album Mirotic.^[7] For the Trick project, he wrote the lyrics to his solo "My Girlfriend", entirely in English.^[8]

"Kiss the Baby Sky", one of the A-side's for TVXQ's twenty-fifth Japanese single, marked the first time that one of the songs both written and composed by Park was released on a Japanese single.^[9]

With TVXQ members U-Know Yunho and Xiah Junsu, Park wrote the rap lyrics to "Love After Love", which appeared on their second Korean studio album, Rising Sun. For the group's Japanese releases, Park wrote and co-composed "Kiss Shita Mama, Sayonara" (Kissしたまま、さよなら, lit. As We Kiss, Goodbye) with Hero for T, TVXQ's third Japanese album.^[10] In September 2009, he and Hero released a self-written duet, "Colors (Melody and Harmony)/Shelter", which was used as the image song for Hello Kitty's 35th anniversary.^[11]

Park has also written songs for JYJ's albums. "I Love You", a track featured in JYJ's 2010 album The Beginning, was penned by Park. In January 2011, Park was the lyricist/composer in JYJ's music essay called Their Rooms "Our Story" for the song "이름없는 노래 Part 1 (A Song Without A Name, Part 1)". In addition, he also composed the rap in bandmate Junsu's song, "Xiahtic". For In Heaven, Park co-wrote "Get Out" with bandmate Jaejoong.

Acting career

Park at the Busan International Film Festival stage greeting for Haemoo

Park's starting minor roles were with TVXQ, in Banjun Theater and Vacation.^[12][13]

In June 2010 Park began his official acting career by appearing in the Japanese BeeTV mobile drama Beautiful Love ～君がいれば～ (Beautiful Love ~If you were here ~) as Young-soo, the runaway heir of a conglomerate.

Two months later, Park made his Korean debut as an actor in the hit 2010 KBS drama Sungkyunkwan Scandal (성균관스캔들). He portrayed Lee Seon Joon, a wealthy, passionable and studious nobleman, who falls in love with his fellow schoolmate—a woman disguised as a man.^[14] He received the "Rookie of the Year" Award, "Netizen Award" and "Best Couple" Award at the 2010 KBS Drama Awards ceremony. He won "Best Newcomer Award" and "Most Popular Actor in a TV Drama" at The 47th Baeksang Arts Awards, the most prestigious entertainment awards in South Korea. Park also won "Best Actor" and "Most Popular Asian Actor" at the 6th Seoul International Drama Awards.

In 2011, he starred in the MBC drama Miss Ripley with Lee Da-hae, Kim Seung-woo, and Kang Hye-jung.^[15] His character as Song Yoo-hyun has him playing a half-Korean, half-Japanese second-generation director who will falls blindly in love with the antiheroine. At the 2011 MBC Drama Awards, Park won "Best Newcomer" for his role as lead male in "Miss Ripley."

In 2012, he starred in the SBS drama Rooftop Prince with Han Ji-min. Park's third role was Lee Gak, a Joseon era prince who time-travels 300 years to the present day, and also as Yong Tae-yong, third generation of conglomerate. The drama started airing on March 21, 2012. On August 30, Park won "Most Popular Actor in TV Drama" at the 48th Baeksang Arts Awards, crowning him as the most popular actor for two years in row.

On November 7, 2012, Park returned to television by participating in his fourth drama, MBC's Missing You,^[16] in which he portrays homicide detective Han Jung-woo who, in the past when he was fourteen years old, was separated from his first love.

Having played the main character in a SBS and a MBC drama during 2012, Park attended both networks' drama award shows. At the MBC Drama Awards on December 30, the actor won the "Excellence Actor in a Mini-Series" Award for his role in Missing You. At the SBS Drama Awards the following day on the 31st, he received four more awards--"Excellence Actor in a Drama Special", one of the "Top 10 Stars", "Best Couple" (shared with Han Ji-min), and the "Netizen Popularity" Award—at the SBS Drama Awards for his performance in popular drama Rooftop Prince.

With all these acting accomplishments added to the list of awards Park has already won since debuting as an actor in 2010, he has now achieved a so-called "Grand Slam" by having won trophies from each of South Korea's three major television channels, SBS, MBC, and KBS.^[17]

In 2014 and 2015 he won the title of "Best New Actor" for his performance in Haemoo at numerous entertainment awards, including the Baeksang Arts Awards,^[18] the Blue Dragon Awards, the Daejong Film Awards, the Busan International Film Festival and the SACF Beautiful Artists Awards.^[19]

Discography

Solo appearances

Filmography

Television series

Film

Narration

Music video appearances

Radio show

Awards and nominations

Other activities

• In 2009, he opened "Timeout Gelato" an ice-cream gelato shop for his mother.^[28]
• In 2011, it was revealed that he and fellow JYJ member Jaejoong are the CEOs of "Bum's Story"—a Japanese restaurant and high fusion bar—in Gangnam.^[29]
• In 2011, Park started endorsing various brands such as Tio, Zelda, and Ottogi Ramen Kissmyun. He was also the model and spokesperson for Black Smith Restaurant and Cafe in South Korea along with Song Seung-heon and Kim Tae-hee. Together with JYJ, Park also endorsed many various brands like the LG Optimus smartphones, Penzal, Nature Republic, Lotte Duty Free, clothing brand NII, Nintendo Mario Kart 7, and cosmetic brand Tony Moly.
• 2012 marked Park's 1st Asia Tour Fanmeeting, due to the popularity of his acting in dramas. He alone traveled to Shanghai, Shenzhen, Taipei, and Bangkok and gathered over 17,000 attendees by his final stop.
• In December 2012, Park was appointed as both the advertising model and PR ambassador of Standard Chartered Bank Korea's talent donation campaign "Audio Library Project". Park Yoo-chun was expected to encourage the public to donate their voices in making audio books and barrier-free movies for those in need. The movie and books by Park and the volunteers were donated to the Korea Blind Union.
• In February 2013, Park was invited to attend Hunan Television's top rated Chinese Lantern Festival of Joy. Park was the only Korean artist invited to the show because of his explosive popularity in China. In consideration of Park's busy schedules, Hunan Television sent a private jet to get Park to attend the show in China. Local celebrities showered their excitement of Park's appearance via social networking sites like SNS and various other media. When Park arrived, around 1000 fans swamped the airport waiting for him, local medias describing it as an airport-turned-concert venue. Park also attended the Hunan Television press conference where he sang the "Magic Castle" from his drama Missing You.
• In 2014, Park participated in CF collaboration between China and Korea that aims to increase awareness about the important of copyright protection. He filmed the campaign together with Chinese actress Qi Wei.

Tours

References

External links

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Park Yoo-Chun.

• Park Yoo-chun on Cyworld