Yunho | |
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Native name | 정윤호 |
Born |
Jung Yun-ho February 6, 1986 Gwangsan, Gwangju, South Korea |
Other names |
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Occupation | |
Years active | 2001–present |
Musical career | |
Genres | |
Instruments |
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Labels | |
Associated acts |
Jung Yun-ho | |
Hangul | 정윤호 |
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Hanja | |
Revised Romanization | Jeong Yun-ho |
McCune–Reischauer | Chŏng Yunho |
Stage name | |
Hangul | 유노윤호 |
Hanja | |
Revised Romanization | Yu-no Yun-ho |
McCune–Reischauer | Yuno Yunho |
Jung Yun-ho (Hangul: 정윤호; Hanja: 鄭允浩; born February 6, 1986), also known by his stage name U-Know Yunho (유노윤호) or simply U-Know, is a South Korean singer, actor, and a member of the pop duo TVXQ. Born and raised in Gwangju, South Korea, Yunho auditioned for the Korean talent agency S.M. Entertainment in 2001. After over two years of training, Yunho debuted with TVXQ in December 2003.
Fluent in both Korean and Japanese, Yunho has achieved commercial success throughout Asia as a member of TVXQ. Known as "Asia's Stars" and the "Kings of K-Pop", TVXQ have released fifteen studio albums and performed on record-breaking concert tours; their sixth Japan-wide tour, the Time Tour, was the highest-grossing concert tour ever held by a foreign music act in Japan. TVXQ are the first non-Japanese music act to hold a concert in the Nissan Stadium, Japan's largest outdoor stadium. According to the Oricon, TVXQ records the most number-one singles for a foreign music act in Japan. They have since sold over 9.3 million albums there, making them Japan's best-selling foreign artists.
Yunho was born and raised in Gwangju, South Korea. He has one younger sister. Several members of Yunho's family worked in the legal industry, and Yunho's own childhood dream was to be a prosecutor. When he was in middle school, he and a few other friends formed the dance team A+, and they competed in various dance competitions around the country. After winning a prize at the 1st Annual SM Best Competition in 1999, Yunho signed with S.M. Entertainment and officially started his training in 2001.
His family, who suffered greatly from the 1997 Asian financial crisis, were initially against his decision to become a singer. In order to provide for himself while he trained in Seoul, Yunho took up various part-time jobs in the city, such as working snow removal in the morning and as a waiter at night. He spent most of his high school vacations in Seoul training, only returning to Gwangju for the school years. Sometime later, Yunho suffered a hormonal imbalance in his throat and underwent surgery, which affected his vocal cords. After losing his voice, Yunho considered giving up his training.