Choi Yu-jin (; born August 12, 1996), known
mononymously
A mononym is a name composed of only one word. An individual who is known and addressed by a mononym is a mononymous person. In some cases, a mononym selected by an individual may have originally been from a polynym, a word which refers to one o ...
as Yujin, is a South Korean singer and actress. Originally debuting in 2015 as a member of the South Korean
girl group
A girl group is a music act featuring several female singers who generally harmonize together. The term "girl group" is also used in a narrower sense in the United States to denote the wave of American female pop music singing groups, many of who ...
CLC CLC may refer to:
Religion
* Christian Life Centre, a number of individual and networked Pentecostal churches in Australia
* Christian Life Community, an international association of lay Christians
* Church of the Lutheran Confession, an American ...
, she is currently active as a member and leader of
Kep1er
Kep1er (; ) is a South Korean girl group formed through the Mnet reality survival competition show ''Girls Planet 999'' in 2021 and managed by Swing Entertainment and Wake One Entertainment. The group is composed of nine members: Kim Chae-hyun, ...
after finishing in third place in the final episode of the survival show ''
Girls Planet 999
''Girls Planet 999: The Girls Saga''; zh, s=少女星球999:少女們的盛典, p=Shàonǚ Xīngqiú 999: Shàonǚmen de Shèngdiǎn; ja, ガールズプラネット999:少女祭典, translit=Gāruzu Puranetto 999: Shōjo Saiten (simply ...
''. Yujin began her acting career in 2016 in a supporting role in the
Naver TV
Naver TV (; formerly Naver TV Cast) is a South Korean online video streaming and video sharing service developed and operated by Naver. The service primarily distributes web dramas and entertainment shows.
Original programming Dramas 2013
* ' ...
web drama, ''Nightmare High''.
Early life
Yujin was born on August 12, 1996, in
Jeonju
Jeonju () is the 16th largest city in South Korea and the capital of North Jeolla Province. It is both urban and rural due to the closeness of Wanju County which almost entirely surrounds Jeonju (Wanju County has many residents who work in Jeonju) ...
,
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.
She attended high school at
Hanlim Multi Art School
Hanlim Multi Art School ( ko, 한림연예예술고등학교) is an arts high school located in Songpa District in Seoul, South Korea.
History
Hanlim School was founded on 3 March 1962, with Lee Hyeon-man being appointed school principal. In 20 ...
and graduated in February 2015.
Career
Pre-debut
She is the longest-serving trainee among CLC members, having been a trainee for over 4 years prior to her debut in 2015.
As a trainee, Yujin created and taught
BtoB
}
BtoB ( ; ; acronym for Born to Beat; often stylized as BTOB) is a South Korean boy band formed in 2012 by Cube Entertainment. The group consists of Seo Eun-kwang, Lee Min-hyuk, Lee Chang-sub, Im Hyun-sik, Peniel Shin and Yook Sung-jae. Or ...
's
Ilhoon the 'Gwiyomi Player'
aegyo
() in Korean refers to a cute display of affection often expressed through a cute voice, changes to speech, facial expressions, or gestures. literally means behaving in a flirtatious, coquettish manner and it is commonly expected for both male ...
, which he would later popularise on the South Korean Idol variety show, ''
Weekly Idol
''Weekly Idol'' is a South Korean variety show that began in 2011 and currently airs Wednesdays at 7:30 PM KST on MBC M, and 12:00 AM KST on MBC Every1. It is one of the longest-running variety shows to air on satellite TV in Japan.
The sho ...
.'' In 2013, South Korean singer,
Hari
Hari ( sa, हरि) is among the primary epithets of the Hindu preserver deity Vishnu, meaning 'the one who takes away' (sins). It refers to the one who removes darkness and illusion, the one who removes all obstacles to spiritual progress ...
released "
Gwiyomi Song" inspired by the gesture Yujin created.
In 2013, Yujin collaborated with then-Cube artist
Yang Yo-seob
Yang Yo-seob (born January 5, 1990), more commonly known as Yoseob, is a South Korean singer and musical actor. He is the main vocalist of the boy group Highlight.
Biography
Yang was born in Seoul, South Korea on January 5, 1990, in a small f ...
in "Perfume" which was released on April 30 as part Cube Entertainment's first "Voice Project". She was credited under the pre-debut group Cube Girls.
In 2014, alongside three of the soon-to-be CLC members,
Sorn Vehicle Excise Duty (VED; also known as "vehicle tax", "car tax", and more controversially as "road tax", and formerly as a "tax disc") is an annual tax that is levied as an excise duty and which must be paid for most types of powered vehicles which ...
, Seungyeon and
Yeeun
Ye-eun, also spelled Ye-un, is a Korean feminine given name. The meaning differs based on the hanja used to write each syllable of the name. There are 55 hanja with the reading "''ye''" and 30 hanja with the reading "'' eun''" on the South Korean ...
, Yujin appeared in
BtoB
}
BtoB ( ; ; acronym for Born to Beat; often stylized as BTOB) is a South Korean boy band formed in 2012 by Cube Entertainment. The group consists of Seo Eun-kwang, Lee Min-hyuk, Lee Chang-sub, Im Hyun-sik, Peniel Shin and Yook Sung-jae. Or ...
's "
Beep Beep" music video. In the same year, all five of the original members of CLC appeared in
G.NA
Gina Jane Choi (born September 13, 1987), better known by her stage name G.NA, is a Korean Canadian singer, songwriter and actress based in South Korea. She released her debut EP, ''Draw G's First Breath'', on July 14, 2010.
As a solo artis ...
's "G.NA's Secret" music video and participated in promotional activities as backing dancers.
In 2015, the quintet did a voluntary street busking performances to help children with developmental disabilities and has been attracting attention as a warm 'Hongdae idol' as part of their pre-debut activities.
They released a self-composed song "You're My Love" ( ko, 유어 마이 러브) on March 13, 2013, through the online music site
Melon
A melon is any of various plants of the family Cucurbitaceae with sweet, edible, and fleshy fruit. The word "melon" can refer to either the plant or specifically to the fruit. Botanically, a melon is a kind of berry, specifically a "pepo". The ...
and the official YouTube channel.
2015–2020: Debut with CLC and acting debut
![160903 CLC Choi Yujin Asia Music Stage](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/6/6e/160903_CLC_Choi_Yujin_Asia_Music_Stage.jpg)
On March 13, 2015, Cube Entertainment released the profile information and images of Yujin, as the fourth member of CLC following Yeeun, Sorn, and Seungyeon, through their official social media. In Cube's words: Choi Yu-jin, who has all the visual elements to be called a 'heavenly idol', aims to become the strongest idol's 'proportioner' with an unusual physical condition. She was introduced as sub-vocalist and lead dancer of the group and can cross various genres such as
belly dance
Belly dance (Egyptian Arabic: رقص بلدي, translated: Dance of the Country/Folk Dance, romanized: Raks/Raas Baladi) is a dance that originates in Egypt. It features movements of the hips and torso. It has evolved to take many different f ...
,
popping
Popping is a street dance adapted out of the earlier Boogaloo (funk dance) cultural movement in Oakland, California. As Boogaloo spread, it would be referred to as Robottin in Richmond, California, Strutting movements in San Francisco and San ...
,
rocking Rocking may refer to:
*Rocking chair
*Uprock, the street dance known as "Rocking"
Music
Albums
* Rockin' (The Guess Who album)
* Rockin' (Frankie Laine album) 1957
Songs
*"Hajej, nynjej" Czech children's carol, recorded as "Rocking" by Julie And ...
, and
house dance
House dance is a freestyle street dance and social dance that has roots in the underground house music scene of Chicago and New York. with a high understanding and expressiveness of dance performance. Along with member Seungyeon, she is considered to be one of CLC's 'two top dancers'.
Yujin and fellow CLC members were also chosen as the new model for a Korea's clothing brand, SMART Uniform, alongside
Got7 and
B1A4
B1A4 () is a South Korean boy band formed by WM Entertainment. The group debuted on April 23, 2011 with the single "O.K" from the EP ''Let's Fly'', after being introduced to the public through a webtoon. They have released nine studio albums (fo ...
.
Yujin made her debut as a member of CLC on May 19, 2015, with the release of the single "Pepe" off the five-track EP ''
First Love
First or 1st is the ordinal form of the number one (#1).
First or 1st may also refer to:
*World record, specifically the first instance of a particular achievement
Arts and media Music
* 1$T, American rapper, singer-songwriter, DJ, and rec ...
'', of which all the proceeds were donated to children with developmental disabilities.
On August 17, 2015, she joined the cast of ''
Real Man
''Real Man'' is the sixth studio album by American country music singer Billy Dean. It was released August 25, 1998, via Capitol Records Nashville. The album includes two singles: the title track and "Innocent Bystander", which respectively reac ...
'' for the third season's female soldier special as the youngest member among the ten entertainers including rapper
Jessi
Jessi may refer to:
People
* Jessi (musician) (born 1988), Korean-American rapper, singer, and songwriter
* Gianluigi Jessi (born 1945), Italian basketball player
* Jessi Alexander (born 1976), American country music artist
* Jessi Colter (born ...
, Japanese broadcaster
Sayuri Fujita
is a Japanese television personality based in South Korea.
From 2007, she regularly appeared on KBS's ''Global Talk Show'' as a representative of Japan, until the show's second season ended. She had also been a regular on ''Wonderful Friday'', i ...
and former national tennis player
Jeon Mi-ra
Jeon Mi-ra ( ko, 전미라, born 6 February 1978) is a South Korean former professional tennis player.
She was the runner-up in the 1994 Wimbledon Championships girls' singles tournament, losing to Martina Hingis, 5–7, 4–6. As a professio ...
.
She gained wider recognition after joining the show, where she drew attention over her small face and slender body frame, measuring 162 cm and 42 kg, taking first place in push-ups despite her skinny arms that couldn't even measure blood pressure. Later, she went viral with the caption "Choi Yu-jin's 3-stage transformation into a female soldier" from a 'pretty and fresh girl' to a 'dignified baby soldier' for which she received the nickname "Baby Soldier" and "Patriotic Idol" from soldiers of the Armed Forces and viewers of the show. Yujin's appearance on the show ended in late September 2015. At the end of the year, Yujin shared a stage with cast member Jessi and
Kim Hyun-sook
Kim Hyun-sook (born October 16, 1978) is a South Korean actress and comedian. She is best known for playing the title character in ''Ugly Miss Young-ae'', a long-running sitcom
A sitcom, a portmanteau of situation comedy, or situational com ...
performing
S.E.S' "
I'm Your Girl" at the 2015
MBC Entertainment Awards
The MBC Entertainment Awards () is a Korean awards ceremony held annually and sponsored by MBC. The awards ceremony is held at the end of each year and lasts approximately 140 minutes, being broadcast in two parts on MBC.
Hosts
History of w ...
.
In 2016, Yujin made her acting debut in the
Naver TV
Naver TV (; formerly Naver TV Cast) is a South Korean online video streaming and video sharing service developed and operated by Naver. The service primarily distributes web dramas and entertainment shows.
Original programming Dramas 2013
* ' ...
web drama ''Nightmare High'' as Cheon Yoo-na.
The same year, she was cast as one of the female leads in ''Green Fever'', a prequel to ''Lily Fever'' (2015). She plays the role of a rookie actor who has emerged as the nation's little sister and is the only actress affiliated with Jin Entertainment. She worked with
Kim Hye-jun and
Jung Yeon-joo
Jung Yeon-joo (born 13 February 1990) is a South Korean actress and model. Jung is known for her roles in Queen of Mystery, Chicago Typewriter.
Biography and career
She graduated from the Korea National University of Arts and made her debut ...
.
2021–present: ''Girls Planet 999,'' debut with Kep1er, and CLC's disbandment
In 2021, Yujin made a cameo in the
Netflix
Netflix, Inc. is an American subscription video on-demand over-the-top streaming service and production company based in Los Gatos, California. Founded in 1997 by Reed Hastings and Marc Randolph in Scotts Valley, California, it offers a fil ...
drama, ''
So Not Worth It
''So Not Worth It'' () is a South Korean streaming television series starring Park Se-wan, Shin Hyeon-seung, Choi Young-jae, Minnie and Han Hyun-min. It is Netflix's first Korean sitcom, which premiered on June 18, 2021.
Synopsis
The series re ...
''. In June 2021, Yujin joined the
Mnet
M-Net (an abbreviation of Electronic Media Network) is a South African pay television channel established by Naspers in 1986. The channel broadcasts both local and international programming, including general entertainment, children's series, ...
survival show ''
Girls Planet 999
''Girls Planet 999: The Girls Saga''; zh, s=少女星球999:少女們的盛典, p=Shàonǚ Xīngqiú 999: Shàonǚmen de Shèngdiǎn; ja, ガールズプラネット999:少女祭典, translit=Gāruzu Puranetto 999: Shōjo Saiten (simply ...
'' as one of the program's 33 Korean contestants.
She consistently ranked in the Top 9 as the show progressed and ultimately finished in 3rd place, allowing her to debut with the winning group,
Kep1er
Kep1er (; ) is a South Korean girl group formed through the Mnet reality survival competition show ''Girls Planet 999'' in 2021 and managed by Swing Entertainment and Wake One Entertainment. The group is composed of nine members: Kim Chae-hyun, ...
. On December 3, 2021, it was revealed that Yujin would be starring on the web drama ''Pumpkin Time'' where it would premiere December 14, 2021. On May 20, 2022, Cube Entertainment announced that CLC has disbanded.
Discography
Singles
Production credits
Filmography
Web series
Television shows
Music video appearances
Awards and nominations
Notes
References
External links
*
*
{{DEFAULTSORT:Choi, Yu-jin
Living people
People from Jeonju
1996 births
Cube Entertainment artists
CLC (group) members
Kep1er members
Hanlim Multi Art School alumni
21st-century South Korean women singers
K-pop singers
21st-century South Korean actresses
South Korean women rappers
South Korean female idols
South Korean web series actresses
Girls Planet 999 contestants
Reality show winners
Swing Entertainment artists