Lee Byung-hun (), known mononymously as Byung Hun, is a South Korean actor and singer. He debuted as a member of the South Korean boy band
Teen Top
Teen Top () is a South Korean boy band formed by TOP Media in 2010. The group is composed of five members: C.A.P, Chunji, Niel, Ricky and Changjo. Originally a six-piece group with L.Joe, the former member had filed for contract termination in ...
in 2010 under the stage name L.Joe and left in 2017 until he nullified his contract with
TOP Media
TOP Media (),(also known as T.O.P Media) is a South Korean company, founded by Shinhwa's Andy, handling the management of several artists. TOP Media usually works with Sony Music Entertainment Korea for distribution of its musical releases.
His ...
.
Early life and education
Born in
Gunsan
Gunsan (), also romanized as Kunsan, is a city in North Jeolla Province, South Korea. It is on the south bank of the Geum River just upstream from its exit into the Yellow Sea. It has emerged as a high-tech manufacturing industrial city and an int ...
,
North Jeolla Province
North Jeolla Province (; ''Jeollabuk-do''), also known as Jeonbuk, is a province of South Korea. North Jeolla has a population of 1,869,711 (2015) and has a geographic area of 8,067 km2 (3,115 sq mi) located in the Honam region in the southwest ...
,
South Korea
South Korea, officially the Republic of Korea (ROK), is a country in East Asia, constituting the southern part of the Korea, Korean Peninsula and sharing a Korean Demilitarized Zone, land border with North Korea. Its western border is formed ...
on November 23, 1993. Byung Hun's legal name is 'Lee Byung Hun' and should not be confused with the South Korean actor
Lee Byung-hun
Lee Byung-hun (; born July 12, 1970) is a South Korean actor. He has received critical acclaim for his work in a wide range of genres, most notably ''Joint Security Area'' (2000); ''A Bittersweet Life'' (2005); ''The Good, the Bad, the Weird'' ...
, both share the exact spelling in Hangul and Hanja as stated by Byung Hun on an episode of
MBC Every1's '
Video Star
''Video Star'' () is a South Korean talk show hosted by Kim Sook, Park Na-rae, Park So-hyun, and Sandara Park. It airs on the MBC cable channel MBC every1 on Tuesdays at 20:30 ( KST). The first episode aired on July 12, 2016.
Video Star is a ...
'.
At the age of 12, he immigrated to
Oregon
Oregon () is a U.S. state, state in the Pacific Northwest region of the Western United States. The Columbia River delineates much of Oregon's northern boundary with Washington (state), Washington, while the Snake River delineates much of it ...
,
USA
The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 states, a federal district, five major unincorporated territori ...
for five years before returning to South Korea. While living in the United States, people around him give him the nickname "Joe." Per his stage name, L.Joe, as a member of Teen Top, was the combination of his surname 'Lee' and nickname 'Joe.'
Career
2010–2017: Teen Top and controversy
Byung Hun debuted with his fellow band group Teen Top under TOP Media on July 10, 2010, with their debut song titled “Clap” (박수).
In February 2017, Byung Hun filed for nullification of the contract with T.O.P Media and left TEEN TOP. The reason as to why he wanted to nullify his exclusive contract with TOP Media is still unknown. Issues first surfaced when Byung Hun met T.O.P Media to renew his contract in October 2016. In June 2017, Byung Hun promoted with Teen Top for the last time as L.Joe. His contract with Teen Top did not expire until January 10, 2018.
2017–present: Solo activities
On May 29, 2018, it was confirmed that Byung Hun will be appearing in ''Let's Eat 3''. The ''
Let's Eat'' series first aired in 2013 and again in 2015, which gained wide popularity for its realistic portrayal of people who live alone and their eating habits.
In November 2022, Byung Hun signed a contract with
SidusHQ
iHQ Inc., doing business as SidusHQ () is one of the leading talent management agencies in South Korea. It was founded in January 2001 by Teddy Hoon-tak Jung. The company is involved in talent management (artist content), and TV drama/music prod ...
.
Filmography
Films
Drama Series
References
External links
instagram
{{Authority control
1993 births
Living people
People from Gunsan
South Korean male singers
South Korean male television actors
South Korean male idols