Moonbin

Career 2006–2015: Pre-debut Under the influence of his mother, Moonbin debuted as a child model and ulzzang in 2004. His first known appearance was in 2006, where he appeared in TVXQ's music video for their song "Balloons" portraying a mini U-Know Yunho. In 2009, he had his first acting role in the Korean drama Boys over Flowers where he played the younger version of Kim Bum's character.

Moonbin began his journey with Fantagio as a trainee in fifth grade, eventually transitioning to a full-fledged trainee during his middle school years. He actively took part in the company's boy group project iTeen, and he was introduced through the Fantagio iTeen Photo Test Cut. Before his official debut with Astro, Moonbin and his fellow group members starred in a web-drama titled "To Be Continued".

2016–2022: Debut with Astro, solo activities, and unit debut

Moonbin debuted as part of the six-member boy group Astro on February 23, 2016. Their debut extended play, Spring Up, contained five songs, including the lead single "Hide & Seek". In 2018, Moonbin joined the cast of The Ultimate Watchlist of Latest Trends, participating in the first two seasons. The following year, he was cast in Moments of Eighteen, where he played the character of Jung Oh-je.

On November 12, 2019, Fantagio reported that for health reasons, Moonbin would be absent from Astro's upcoming promotions for their Blue Flame EP release. He ended his hiatus in February 2020 after appearing in a V Live broadcast with the other Astro members. He was announced as one of the new hosts of the South Korean music show Show Champion, alongside his bandmate Yoon San-ha and Verivery's Kangmin. He was confirmed to play the lead role in the web-drama The Mermaid Prince, a role which he reprised for a second season, and joined the eco-friendly cooking program Food Avengers.

In September 2020, Moonbin was announced as one of the fashion models for the brand Nerdy Cafe. He and band-mate Sanha (Yoon San-ha) debuted as Astro's first sub-unit Moonbin & Sanha with the release of their debut EP, In-Out, along with its lead single, "Bad Idea", on September 14. The unit received their first music show win from The Show eight days later.

Later that year, Moonbin was added as a cast member for the second season of Coupang Play's Saturday Night Live Korea.

Death On the evening of April 19, 2023, Moonbin was found dead at his home in the Gangnam District of Seoul at the age of 25. He was found by his manager after he failed to attend rehearsals. Yonhap News shared a statement released by the Seoul Gangnam Police who were investigating his death and described it as a suspected suicide, but were "discussing the possibility of an autopsy to determine the precise cause of death". On April 20, Gangnam Police told CNN that "no signs of foul play have been found related to this case."

According to an official statement released by Fantagio on April 21, Moonbin was to be buried on April 22, 2023. The funeral procession and the burial site was kept private per the request of his family.

Discography

Title Year Peak chart positions Album KORDown. As lead artist "Let's Go Ride" 2022 59 Drive to the Starry Road "Desire" 2023 15 Incense"Fly" (with Jinjin) 2024 90 Collaborations"Language Test" (with Weki Meki Ji Su-yeon) 2018 —FM201.8

Songwriting credits All credits are listed under the Korea Music Copyright Association unless otherwise stated. Year Title Artist Album Lyricist Composer 2017 "You & Me (Thanks Aroha)"Astro Winter Dream 2018 "By Your Side" Rise Up "Merry-Go-Round (Christmas Edition)" 2019 "Merry-Go-Round" All Light 2021 "Footprint" Switch On 2022 "Candy Sugar Pop" Drive to the Starry Road 2023 "Madness" Moonbin & SanhaIncense "Desire" Himself

Filmography Television series Year Title Role 2009Boys Over FlowersSo Yi-jung (young) 2019 At Eighteen Jung Oh-je

Web series Year Title Role Notes 2015 To be Continued Himself 2019 Soul Plate Angel Muriel 2020 The Mermaid Prince Woo Hyuk Lifetime Korea Find Me If You Can Cameo; episode 6

Television shows

Web shows Year Title Role Notes 2021 Insa Oppa Cast 2021–2022 Saturday Night Live Korea Cast member Season 2 2022 Challenge Host TikTok Stage on Air; with Yoon San-ha

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 APAN Music Awards 2020 Entertainer of the Year – Male Award Moonbin Brand Customer Loyalty Awards Male Actor Idol of the Year Award The Mermaid Prince Korea First Brand Awards 2021 Best Idol Unit Award Moonbin & Sanha Seoul Webfest Film Festival 2022 Best Supporting Actor Award Find Me If You Can