Kim Woo-jin (; born April 8, 1997), also known mononymously as Woojin (), is a South Korean singer and actor. He was signed to
JYP Entertainment and was a member of the boy group
Stray Kids from their formation through the
eponymous survival show in 2017 until his departure two years later. He signed with 10x Entertainment in his endeavor to launch a solo career. Amidst his transition to a soloist, he faced false accusations of sexual misconduct by anonymous users on social media website
Twitter. He denied the allegations and an investigation found various forms of fabrication from the accusers. He released his debut mini-album ''The Moment : A Minor'' and its lead single "Ready Now" in August 2021.
Life and career
Kim Woo-jin was born on April 8, 1997, in
Bucheon
Bucheon () is a administrative divisions of South Korea, city in Gyeonggi Province, South Korea. Bucheon is located away from Seoul, of which it is a satellite town, satellite city. It is located between Incheon and Seoul.
Bucheon is the second ...
,
Gyeonggi Province, South Korea. He graduated from the
School of Performing Arts Seoul. He was a trainee under
SM Entertainment for one year, where he practiced with fellow apprentices that would go on to debut as part of
NCT.
On October 11, 2017, Kim was unveiled as a
JYP Entertainment trainee. He competed in
Mnet's reality survival show ''
Stray Kids'' to become a member of the record label's forthcoming boy group
Stray Kids as a vocalist.
In midst of the competition, the group made the single "Hellevator" available via
digital music stores on November 1. The nine-member lineup was confirmed in the final episode of the reality show and Stray Kids released their pre-debut mini-album ''
Mixtape
A mixtape (alternatively mix-tape, mix tape or mixed tape) is a compilation of music, typically from multiple sources, recorded onto a medium. With origins in the 1980s, the term normally describes a homemade compilation of music onto a cassette ...
'' fronted by "Beware" on January 8, 2018. Their official debut mini-album ''
I Am Not
''I Am Not'' (stylized as ''I am NOT'') is the debut extended play (EP) by South Korean boy group Stray Kids. The EP was released digitally and physically on March 26, 2018 by JYP Entertainment and distributed through Iriver. A debut showcase ti ...
'' and its lead single "District 9" were released on March 26, 2018. On October 28, 2019, JYP Entertainment announced Kim's departure from Stray Kids and termination of his exclusive contract, citing personal circumstances.
Kim posted to a newly created
Instagram
Instagram is a photo and video sharing social networking service owned by American company Meta Platforms. The app allows users to upload media that can be edited with filters and organized by hashtags and geographical tagging. Posts can ...
account in January 2020 with the phrase "Kim Woo-jin restart". He held a fan meeting in May and signed with the newly formed 10x Entertainment in August as the first artist on the label's roster.
Ahead of his solo record, Kim issued the pre-debut digital single "Still Dream" on July 8, 2021. His debut mini-album ''The Moment : A Minor'' and its lead single "Ready Now" were released on August 8. In November, he provided the song "Because It's You" to the soundtrack of the television drama ''
Let Me Be Your Knight''. He was cast in the web film ''3.5th Period'' as the "sweet, handsome guy" Lee Han-ik and contributed the track "Timeless" for its soundtrack in December.
Kim will embark on his 1st World Tour 2022 "Still Dream", starting with shows in Europe from July to August. Additional concerts in Asia, North America, and South America are planned. He will play the lead role in
HBO Max's upcoming
romantic fantasy series ''Beyond the Closet'', becoming the first South Korean actor to be cast in the company's global project. It is scheduled to air in 2023.
False allegations
In September 2020, Kim was accused of sexual harassment by unidentified women on the social media platform
Twitter.
One accuser alleged that, in spite of refusing his approach, Kim had attempted to touch her and her friend.
In another instance, a user asserted to have met Kim at a bar on April 29. She claimed that, after rejecting his verbal and physical advances, he cursed at her. The user uploaded a photo of alcohol bottles between her and a man's torso opposite her who she identified as Kim.
She pointed to an Instagram photo from his account in which he wore a matching gray sweatshirt that he had posted on the day the incident allegedly took place.
Kim denied the allegations, stating that he "never even met that person" and had "never been to the places that they've mentioned".
He filed a suit with the
Seoul Metropolitan Police Agency against the individuals for defamation.
The investigation determined that the liquor in the photo was
Glenburgie
Glenburgie distillery, also known as Glenburgie-Glenlivet, Glen Burgie or Glenburry is a whisky distillery near Alves, Moray
History
There are mentions of a distillery being founded as early as 1810, then known as Kilnflat. It wasn't until 1829 t ...
whisky, which was available in South Korea from the end of 2019 and helped narrow their search due to its limited availability at the time. In a search through Instagram
hashtag
A hashtag is a metadata tag that is prefaced by the hash (also known as pound or octothorpe) sign, ''#''. On social media, hashtags are used on microblogging and photo-sharing services such as Twitter or Instagram as a form of user-generated ...
s under the whisky name, they were able to identify the original photo post.
It was established that the image was taken from an account that had no association with Kim.
Upon obtaining
CCTV
Closed-circuit television (CCTV), also known as video surveillance, is the use of video cameras to transmit a signal to a specific place, on a limited set of monitors. It differs from broadcast television in that the signal is not openly t ...
footage from the bar from that night, it was concluded that the photo, which was taken on August 31, 2020, originated from one of two men at the table, neither of which was Kim.
The probe also found that one of the accusers who was an
anti-fan
An anti-fan, hater, or anti is someone who enjoys writing, discussing or in some cases making derivative works about a piece of media, but solely for the purpose of railing against or parodying it. Someone who opposes a ship (a romantic pairing be ...
spreading disinformation and the person who disseminated the allegations were both Brazilian nationals.
In July 2021, 10x Entertainment published a documentary entitled ''Finger Killer'', which examines the false accusations of sexual harassment made against Kim.
Discography
Albums
Extended plays
Singles
Soundtrack appearances
Filmography
Television
Film
Concerts and tours
* Kim Woo Jin 1st World Tour
(2022)
References
External links
*
{{DEFAULTSORT:Kim, Woo-jin
1997 births
21st-century South Korean male actors
21st-century South Korean singers
JYP Entertainment artists
K-pop singers
Living people
People from Bucheon
School of Performing Arts Seoul alumni
South Korean male film actors
South Korean male idols
South Korean pop singers
Stray Kids members