Jun

Lee Jun-young (; born January 22, 1997), also known as Jun, is a South Korean singer, rapper and actor who debuted as a member of the boy band U-KISS in 2014. He joined the survival program The Unit (2017–18) and won to become the center and main vocalist of the project group UNB. As an actor, he has achieved wider recognition for his roles in several projects, such as Class of Lies, D.P. (2021), Love and Leashes (2022), Mask Girl (2023), When Life Gives You Tangerines (2025), Weak Hero Class 2 (2025), and Reborn Rookie (2026).

Lee has been noted for his strong acting skills paired with his diverse and unique role selections, earning him descriptions such as 'the acting god' or 'the most unconventional' among actors of his generation. Beyond his work in music and acting, he has participated in musical theatre, dance battles, variety programs, art exhibitions, and hosting activities, which has led some to describe him as a 'hexagonal trendsetter' for his versatility across multiple fields.

Career 2014–2016: Career beginnings with U-KISS On May 15, 2014, NH Media announced new member Jun to the public via U-KISS's official Korean website. On June 2, 2014, Jun made his debut with U-KISS and the group released its 9th mini album Mono Scandal along with the 19+ rated music video of the album's title track "Quit Playing". In the same year, U-KISS also released their 9th Japanese single album LOVE ON U and kicked off U-KISS JAPAN LIVE TOUR 2014, which was held in Nippon Budokan, effectively starting Jun's career in Japan. In December 2014, U-KISS made another comeback with their 10th Japanese single album Sweetie.

In 2015, U-KISS started the year with 10th mini album Always, followed by their 4th Japanese regular album Action in March and 11th Japanese single album Stay Gold in September. In 2016, U-KISS made another comeback with 12th Japanese single album Kissing to feel, 5th Japanese regular album One Shot One Kill, 11th mini album Stalker, and 13th Japanese single album PaNiC!. Unfortunately, the 11th mini album Stalker was the last Korean comeback Jun had with U-KISS until his contract ends in 2021, since NH Media decided to focus on Japanese market entirely.

2017–2021: UNB and acting breakthrough In 2017, Lee debuted as an actor in the tvN Wednesday-Thursday drama Avengers Social Club. It was based on the webtoon titled "Buam-dong Avengers Social Club" by Sajatokki, serialized on Daum. He played the role of Lee Soo-gyum, a third-year student at Saebit High School and the youngest member of the Bokja Club. Lee Soo-gyum was the illegitimate child of Lee Byung-soo (played by Choi Byung-mo) and he had a decisive role in leading Kim Jung-hye (played by Lee Yo-won) to form the Bokja Club. He was also the actual brain behind the Bokja Club, and he joined the club to take revenge on his father, who used him to secure the company's succession.

On October 28, 2017, Lee joined the survival program The Unit. During the audition, he performed "Dang Dang Dang", a hip-hop rap song by Supreme Team, and received the first Super Boot evaluation on the show from the audience. He was ranked 6th in the first week, 3rd in the second week, and 2nd in the third week of the interim ranking result. However, on the first official ranking announcement, he took the 1st rank and was consistently holding the rank thereafter. In the final announcement, he was ranked 1st of the Top 9, debuting as the center. He also made it to 3rd place on the Non-Drama Performers Category list by Good Data Corporation during the show's final week. He then promoted with UNB, which consisted of finalists from the show, from April 7, 2018, to January 27, 2019.

From April to May 2018, Lee appeared as "Compass" on MBC's TV program King of Mask Singer. In the first round, he performed a duet with Lee Sang-hoon of "It Was Like That Then". For the second round, he performed a solo cover version of "Eraser". In May 2018, he made his second acting appearance as Han Min-soo in the MBC television series Goodbye to Goodbye (2018) and received a Best New Actor award at the 2018 MBC Drama Awards. On April 10, 2019, Lee released his first Japanese solo single "Phenomenal World", which explored the futurepop genre. He performed his first solo showcase in Tokyo on February 4. Prior to the release, he also held a series of concerts on April 6 in Osaka and April 8 in Tokyo. Tower Records Japan ranked "Phenomenal World" as the #7 best-selling Japanese single by a Korean artist for the first half of 2019. He then starred in the OCN television series Class of Lies, which aired from July 17 to September 5. On November 6, he released both a Korean and Japanese version of his solo single "My Way", for which he wrote the lyrics. The single featured rapper Reddy and was produced by Sway D, accompanied by two music videos. After a digital download was released on October 30 the Japanese version ranked #2 on the dwango.jp K-POP Life Weekly Singles Chart. On November 28, he released his first Korean solo single "TELL" composed by himself as a pre-release for his album Gallery. On December 5, he made his solo debut in Korea with the title track "Curious About U" and the single album Gallery.

In 2020, Lee released his first solo Japanese mini album "22" on January 22, which was also his birthday. The album featured six songs, from ballads to rap and dance numbers.

Also in 2020, he acted in the musical Swag Age: Shout out, Chosun! and received a Best New Actor award at the fifth Korea Musical Awards. In April 2020, he played Kang Woo-won in the SBS drama Good Casting (2020), which was entirely pre-produced. In June 2020, he made a special appearance in the SBS drama Backstreet Rookie as a high school student who stole a college student's overcoat to buy cigarettes. In October 2020, he acted in the MBC Every 1 drama Please Don't Date Him. He participated in the soundtrack for the drama with the single "To you who will be tired". On October 7, he released the Korean single "Amen", which highlighted rap and hip-hop.

In May 2021, Lee starred in the KBS2 drama Imitation (2021) as Kwon Ryok, an idol-actor and center of fictional idol group SHAX. As a SHAX member, he participated in the songs "MALO", "AMEN", and "Your Sign (SHAX ver)". In the first two mentioned songs, he mainly took over the rap. As Kwon Ryok, he participated in the song "Your Sign" with the cast and "My Old Story" sung in duet with Jiyeon of T-ara. All the songs are available on various music streaming services.

After departing NH Media in August, Lee announced in November that he co-founded a new company, J-flex, which will serve as his current agency for his acting projects. In August 2021, he appeared in the third episode of the Netflix series D.P. as deserter Jung Hyun-Min. In order to digest the intense action scenes, he learned boxing with actor Jung Hae-in, who played Ahn Jun-ho in the series, for a few months at an action school before filming. As the action scenes were shot without a stunt double, he received praise for his swift and accurate movements. In November 2021, he starred in the SBS drama Let Me Be Your Knight as Yoon Tae-in, a songwriter and vocalist of fictional band LUNA. As a member of LUNA, he sang several songs: "Beautiful Breakup", "Midnight Fantasy", "Let Me Be Your Knight", "Love Paranoia", and "Rock & Roll Tonight". He also sang a song titled "Love One Day" by himself.

2022–2024: Rising popularity In February 2022, Lee starred in the Netflix movie Love and Leashes, an adaptation of the webtoon titled "Moral Sense" on the topic of BDSM. He starred alongside Seohyun (Jung Ji-woo) as Jung Ji-hoo, a newly transferred assistant manager from the business team. Outwardly, he is a nice and popular superior, but inwardly, he hides secret desires. He also sang an OST titled "A Fine Day" for this drama.

In 2023, Lee starred in the movie Brave Citizen, based on the webtoon of the same name. He starred alongside Shin Hye-sun (So Si-min) as Han Su-gang, a high school bully that's described as a vicious villain that has never been seen before. The filming period was from December 30, 2021 to April 5, 2022 and the movie became available in theaters starting from October 25, 2023. In August 2023, he appeared as the villain in the fourth episode of the Netflix series Mask Girl. His acting in Brave Citizen and Mask Girl earned him the Best Acting Performance Award at the 2023 Asia Artist Awards.

In January 2024, Lee starred in the Netflix movie Badland Hunters alongside Ma Dong-seok, Lee Hee-joon, and Roh Jeong-eui. In February 2024, he starred in the Disney+ series The Impossible Heir alongside Lee Jae-wook. In the same month, he starred in the Netflix series Melo Movie as Hong Si-jun, an aspiring musician who met Son Ju-a (Jeon So-nee) again, his ex-girlfriend of seven years. He showcased his singing skills by performing the OST titled "Under Sunset" entirely in English.

In March 2025, Lee starred in a supporting role as Park Yeong-bum, the first love of IU's character Yang Geum-myeong, in the Netflix series When Life Gives You Tangerines. He was recognized in the buzzworthy Drama Performer Category by Good Data Corporation, ranking 4th in the third week of March and 8th in the fourth week. He also appeared in the Netflix series Weak Hero Class 2 as antagonist character Geum Seong-je, which aired on April 25. At the 2025 Fundex Awards, he received a double nomination in the Best Supporting Male Performer on OTT Category for his roles in the two aforementioned works, and eventually won for his role in Weak Hero Class 2. Due to his frequent appearances in OTT series, he is sometimes referred to as "OTT Prince", "OTT Son", or "OTT Civil Servant".

Lee then starred in the KBS2 drama Pump Up the Healthy Love (2025) alongside Jung Eun-ji as Do Hyeon-jeong, a gym manager who transformed his life through exercise despite being born smaller than the size of a 1.5-kilogram dumbbell. For this role, he won the Excellence Award, Actor in a Miniseries from the 2025 KBS Drama Awards. Since the album consisted of various genres such as dance, ballad, and hip-hop, critics have referred to him as an all-rounder.

From August to October 2025, Lee appeared in the MBC TV variety show Hangout with Yoo for its '80s Seoul Music Festival project. He appeared in the episodes that built up towards the festival's climax, with key episodes including the song selection and performance broadcasts. During the festival, Lee delivered a live rendition of the classic song "I MISS YOU". He drew widespread attention from audiences and fellow cast members alike, while viewers praised his energetic vocals and stage presence. He secured both the Grand Prize (judged by industry seniors) and the Popularity Award (voted by netizens) on the show. He also rose to 4th place on the Non-Drama Performers Category list by Good Data Corporation, reflecting the strong public response to his performance and overall presence in the project.

In May 2026, Lee took on a double role as the titular character in the JTBC drama Reborn Rookie. For his performance, where he portrayed a soul swap between 27-year-old soccer player Hwang Jun-hyeon and 72-year-old conglomerate chairman Kang Yong-ho, he received praise from critics and audiences for his acting skills and synchronization with his co-stars. The series finale went on to record 13.6% in nationwide viewership ratings, becoming one of the highest-rated dramas in Korean cable television history and with Lee's performance credited as the driving force behind its commercial success.

Personal life Martial arts Lee holds a second-degree black belt in Taekwondo, a third-degree black belt in special forces martial arts (Teukgongmoosol), and a third-degree black belt in Hapkido. He has been training in MMA (mixed martial arts) since 2021 after he felt his action scenes for D.P. were inadequate. He also started learning boxing at the gym run by Ma Dong-seok after they acted together in Badland Hunters.

Agency After his contract ended with NH Media in June 2021, Lee jointly founded J-flex Entertainment with his former manager, Shim Hwa-seok, in November of the same year. In June 2023, the company was acquired by Blade Entertainment. After several small scale mergers, the company changed its name to Billions in June 2024.

Model citizen On August 25, 2021, Lee helped the police arrest a drunk driver. He was driving to his home in Uijeongbu when he noticed the car ahead of him swerving dangerously. He honked twice to alert the driver, thinking they might have been sleep-deprived, but to no avail. He decided to call the police on the suspicion of drunk driving. The police asked for his help in following the suspect. He gave consent for the police to track his phone's location and then chased the suspect for more than an hour. After the chase was done, he cooperated with the investigation by turning over his car's black box to the police. The incident made headlines three days later on August 28. Since Lee had no agency or manager at the time, the statement came from his former agency, NH Media. He was to be awarded the Model Citizen Award, but turned it down since "it didn't feel right", citing that he did not do it "out of a sense of duty".

Military service On June 14, 2026, Lee announced through his Instagram that he would begin his mandatory military service on July 21. He enlisted as an active duty soldier in the army with only close friends and family present at his entrance ceremony. On August 26, 2026, he completed his five-week training at the Republic of Korea's 35th Infantry Division Recruit Training Battalion in Jeonbuk State, ranked as the company commander of his squad.

Discography

Extended plays Title EP details Peak chart positions Sales KOR JPN 22 Released: January 22, 2020 Label: Avex Trax Formats: CD, digital download — 18 JPN: 3,649 Last Dance Released: September 22, 2025 Label: Billions Formats: CD, digital download 7 — KOR: 24,885

Single albums

Title Details Peak chart positions Sales KOR JPN Phenomenal World Released: April 10, 2019 Label: Avex Trax Formats: CD, digital download — 12 JPN: 10,124 Gallery Released: December 5, 2019 Label: NH Media Formats: CD, digital download 36 — KOR: 2,404

Singles As lead artist Title Year Peak chart positions Sales Album KOR JPN KORDown. Korean "Tell" 2019 — — — Gallery "Curious About U" — — — "Amen" 2020 — — — "Bounce" 2025 — — 54 Last Dance Japanese "Phenomenal World" 2019 — 12 — JPN: 10,124 2022 May I Help You? OST "Under Sunset" 2025 Melo Movie OST "If it was me (Piano by Park Bo-gum)" The Seasons: Cantabile of Park Bo Gum "That's My Own World" '80s MBC Seoul GAYOJE Preliminary Round "I MISS YOU" '80s MBC Seoul GAYOJE Final Round Side B

Self-composition Title Year Lyrics Composition Album "TELL" "Your Sign (SHAX Ver.)" LUNA Let Me Be Your Knight OST "Love Paranoia" 2023 Brave Citizen Han Soo-gang 2024 Badland Hunters Choi Ji-wan Netflix film 2025 Tokyo Taxi Kim Young-ki Japanese film 2026

Television series

Year Title Role Notes 2017 Avengers Social Club Lee Soo-gyum 2019 Class of Lies Yoo Beom-jin 2020 Good Casting Kang Woo-won Backstreet Rookie High school student Cameo (Ep.2) 2020–2021 Please Don't Date Him Jung Kook-hee 2021 Imitation Kwon Ryok D.P. Jung Hyun-min Cameo (Season 1 Ep.3) 2021–2022 Let Me Be Your Knight Yoon Tae-in 2022 May I Help You? Butler Kim / Kim Tae-hee 2023 Mask Girl Choi Bu-yong Cameo (Ep.4) 2024 The Impossible Heir Kang In-ha Dreaming of a Freaking Fairy Tale Moon Cha-min 2025 The Queen Who Crowns King Sejong Cameo (Ep.12) Melo Movie Hong Si-jun When Life Gives You Tangerines Park Yeong-bum Weak Hero Class 2 Geum Seong-je Pump Up the Healthy Love Do Hyeon-jeong 2026 Reborn Rookie Hwang Jun-hyeon / Kang Yong-ho Our Sticky Love Kaito Cameo (Ep.8-9, 12) Four Hands, Two Sonatas Choi Jeong-yo

Television shows Year Title Role Notes 2017 The Unit: Idol Rebooting Project Contestant 1st-place winner 2018 King of Mask Singer As 'Compass' (Episodes 151–152) - lost in 2nd round 2022 As '25 21' (Episodes 355–356) - lost in 3rd round 2026 Trails to Hakka Cast member With Kim Ha-neul, Nam Woo-hyun, Rio Peng, Baik Dusan

Web shows Year Title Role Notes 2018 UNB in Japan: OND Himself 2019 U-KISS Tasty U (U-KISSのマシッソU) 2020 U-KISS Soohyun & Jun "Anything Challenge" Music video appearances Year Song Artist Notes 2018 "There Has Never Been a Day I Haven't Loved You" Im Chang-jung With Lee Ye-hyun "Turn It On" Laboum 2025 "Rainbow Light" Lim Seul-ong (2AM)

Hosting Year Title Notes Venue Date 2025 MBC University Song Festival with Jang Do-yeon & Kim Min-ju Korea Maritime and Ocean University October 3 10th Anniversary AAA Festa (ACON 2025) with I-dle's Shuhua, Cravity's Allen & KiiiKiii's Sui Kaohsiung National Stadium December 7 Music Bank Global Festival in Japan with Ive's Jang Won-young Tokyo National Stadium December 13 - 14

Musical and performances Musical play + Year performed, play title (English & original), role name, venue, and performance date Year Title Role Venue Date English Original 2015 ON AIR ~ Night Flight ~ ON AIR ～夜間飛行～ Ta-yin Zepp Blue Theater Roppongi February 5 - 12 RUN TO YOU～Street Life～ Kang Jae-min June 26 - July 5 2019 Swag Age: Shout out, Chosun! 스웨그에이지: 외쳐, 조선! Hong Dan Doosan Art Center Yeonggang Hall June 18 - August 25 2020 Hongik University Daehakro Art Center Grand Theater February 14 - May 24

Concert performances + Year the event was held, event title (English & original), performance list, venue, and performance date Year Title Performance Venue Date English Original 2021 FEBC Fall Concert FEBC 가을음악회 Lotte Concert Hall November 9 2023 AAA's Beginning Concert 'Male God''' AAA'의 비기닝 콘서트 '男神' Yokohama Pia Arena MM July 8

The 80s MBC Seoul Song Festival| 놀면 뭐하니? '80s MBC 서울가요제 MBC Ilsan Dream Center September 11

10th Asia Artist Awards| '10주년 아시아 아티스트 어워즈 2025

December 6

10th Anniversary AAA Festa (ACON 2025)| '10주년 아시아 아티스트 어워즈 2025 페스타 'ACON 2025' December 7

Music Bank Global Festival in Japan'' 2025 뮤직뱅크 글로벌페스티벌 IN JAPAN Tokyo National Stadium December 13 - 14

Accolades Awards and nominations + Name of the award ceremony, year presented, category, nominee of the award, and the result of the nomination Award ceremony Year Category Nominee / Work Result The 80s MBC Seoul Song Festival 2025 Daesang (Grand Prize) Lee Jun-young Popularity Award APAN Star Awards 2025 Excellence Award, Actor in a Miniseries When Life Gives You Tangerines, Pump Up the Healthy Love Best Entertainer Award Lee Jun-young Asia Artist Awards 2021 Best Choice Award – Actor 2022 Best Actor Award May I Help You? 2023 Best Acting Performance Award Brave Citizen, Mask Girl 2025 Best Actor – Male Lee Jun-young Blue Dragon Series Awards 2025 Best Supporting Actor Weak Hero Class 2 Brand of the Year Awards 2025 Male Actor (Rising Star) Category Lee Jun-young DAP Awards Melo Romance Pass Award When Life Gives You Tangerines, Melo Movie, Weak Hero Class 2, Pump Up the Healthy Love Director's Cut Awards 2024 Best New Actor in a Series Mask Girl Fundex Awards 2025 Best Supporting Male Performer on OTT Weak Hero Class 2 When Life Gives You Tangerines KBS Drama Awards 2025 Best Couple Award Lee Jun-young Pump Up the Healthy Love Excellence Award, Actor in a Miniseries Pump Up the Healthy Love Popularity Award Top Excellence Award, Actor Korea Cultural Entertainment Awards 2018 Best New Actor Goodbye to Goodbye Korea Drama Awards 2025 Excellence Award, Actor When Life Gives You Tangerines, Melo Movie, Weak Hero Class 2, Pump Up the Healthy Love Korea First Brand Awards 2020 Acting Idol Award Lee Jun-young Arttainer (Art Entertainer) Award Korea Musical Awards 2021 Best New Actor Swag Age: Shout out, Chosun! MBC Drama Awards 2018 Goodbye to Goodbye 2022 Best Couple Award Lee Jun-young May I Help You? Excellence Award, Actor in a Miniseries May I Help You? MBC Entertainment Awards 2025 Rookie Award Hangout with Yoo OCN Awards 2019 The Capability Award Class of Lies SBS Drama Awards 2020 Best New Actor Good Casting 2021 Excellence Award, Actor in a Miniseries Romance/Comedy Drama Let Me Be Your Knight Scene Stealer Festival 2023 Bonsang (Main Prize) Love and Leashes, May I Help You?

Listicles + Name of publisher, year listed, name of listicle, and placement Publisher Year Listicle Placement Cine21 2021 New Actors that will lead Korean Video Content Industry in 2022 Star News 2023 Best Idol-Actor of the Year (Male) Gallup Korea 2024 Most Anticipated Next Generation Actor Joy News 24 2025 Entertainment Power People