Eric Mun (born Mun Jung-hyuk on February 16, 1979) is a South Korean rapper, songwriter and actor. He is a member and leader of the South Korean boy bandShinhwa. He is also well known for several dramas such as Phoenix (2004), Super Rookie (2005), and Another Oh Hae-young (2016). He was with Top Class Entertainment from 2007 to December 2013. In 2014, Mun and his manager of 10 years, Lee Jong-hyun, set up a new management agency, E&J Entertainment, for his individual activities. Mun is also the CEO of Shinhwa Company, the home agency of his group, with Lee Min-woo as co-CEO since 2011, and with the remaining members—Kim Dong-wan, Shin Hye-sung, Jun Jin and Andy Lee—as shareholders.
Mun was born in Daechi-dong, Gangnam-gu, Seoul, South Korea.[1] He is the youngest of the three siblings with two older sisters. He attended Daechi Elementary School located in Seoul. When his family moved to the U.S, he went to John Burroughs Middle School located in Los Angeles. Mun spent his years at Parks Junior High School and Sunny Hills High School, both of which are located in Fullerton, California. In 1996 he returned to Korea and joined SM Entertainment as a trainee and was featured as a rapper on label mate girl group S.E.S.' single "I'm Your Girl" along with Andy.[2][unreliable source?] On March 24, 1998, with the stage name Eric, he debuted as leader and main rapper of group Shinhwa with their single "해결사" (The Solver) on KM Music Tank. He stated that their debut album, Resolver, did not perform well and the band almost disbanded. At the time, he thought seriously about giving up and returning to the U.S.[3]
In 2005, Mun graduated from Dongguk University with a major in Theater and Film.
Career
2004: Acting career beginnings
In 2002, Mun and his Shinhwa bandmates had cameo appearance in the movie Emergency 19 Act. In 2003 director Park Sung-soo cast him in a supporting role for MBC's series Breathless (I Run).[4][unreliable source?] In early 2004, he appeared in the drama Phoenix (Bulsae).
2005-2006: Injury
In 2005, Mun starred in lead role in MBC's Super Rookie with actress Han Ga-in.[5] It was also broadcast on Fuji Television. It got solid rating in Korea during the broadcast. Super Rookie was also a big hit in Japan after Fuji TV paid ₩2 billion for the broadcast rights in Japan.[6] It was commercially successful in Japan when it was broadcast there. In December 2005, Mun went to promote Super Rookie in Japan, where he was greeted at the airport by a large crowd.[7]
In early 2006, Mun was injured on the set of MBC drama Wolf, resulting in it being pulled off air after four episodes. Mun was injured whilst shooting a scene, near Namdaemun in Seoul, where he was to save co-star Han Ji-min from being run over by a car. The stunt car driver, misunderstanding the instructions given to him, drove at them at 40km/h and did not stop in front of them as planned.[8]
In August, after the successful run of Super Rookie, especially in Japan,[6] Mun collaborated again with its writers in Invincible Parachute Agent (also known as Korea Secret Agency).[9]
2008-2010: Military enlistment
Shinhwa's 10th Anniversary concert in March 2008 marked the start of Shinhwa's hiatus as a group to fulfill mandatory military service. Before his army enlistment, Mun appeared in a period drama for the first time in his acting career with Strongest Chil Woo.[10] With 30 million wons per episode for Strongest Chil Woo, Mun was the highest paid singer-turned-actor in the industry at the time.[11]
Mun gave up his U.S. citizenship in 2003,[12][13] to be able to serve his military service. He was the first Shinhwa member to enlist for mandatory military service in October 2008. Because of his back injury from the filming of Wolf, Mun served non-active duty after undergoing four weeks of basic training. He was discharged on October 30, 2010.[14]
2011: Shinhwa Company
After being discharged, Mun's first project was supposed to be KBS' action drama Poseidon opposite Kim Ok-bin, set for broadcast in July 2011. However they dropped out when production was halted after the Bombardment of Yeonpyeong incident in November 2010.[15] Instead, he appeared in another KBS drama, Spy Myung-wol with Han Ye-seul in July, playing a Korean wave star who is at the center of a kidnap plot by North Korean agents.[16][17]
On July 1, 2011, Mun became CEO (with Lee Min-woo as co-CEO) of Shinhwa Company, a joint venture agency for members Shinhwa to perform as a group. The Company manages the group as a whole, whilst members' individual activities are managed by their respective agencies.[18]
As part of Top Class Entertainment he produced girl group Stellar, who debuted in August 2011 with the song "Rocket Girl".[19]
2012: Shinhwa reunion
In March 2012, Mun reunited with his Shinhwa bandmates for their comeback after four years, under the management of Shinhwa Company. The group released their tenth studio album The Return on March 23, 2012,[20][21] launched the concerts 2012 Shinhwa Grand Tour: The Return throughout Asia[22][23] and their first exclusive variety program Shinhwa Broadcast premiered on March 17, 2012, on cable channel JTBC.[24]
Mun's rap is featured on Brown Eyed Girls' Ga-in's digital single "Nostalgia", released on November 30, 2012.[25]
2013: Shinhwa tour and leaving Top Class Management
On February 8, 2013, Shinhwa's agency announced the group's 2013 Shinhwa Grand Tour: The Classic to commemorate the group's 15 years since their debut was revealed. The album's name called The Classic.
Mun along with Shinhwa won Mwave Global Star Awards[26] as well as many music shows awards[27][28] and a Triple Crown on M Countdown[29] for their music comeback.
December 2013, Mun's contract with Top Class Entertainment came to an end. He did not re-sign another contract with Top Class Entertainment and no longer has any running of group Stellar whom he helped the management to produce and promote the original line up.[30][31]
2014: Return to acting
In March 2014, Mun successfully concluded the 16th Anniversary Concerts with Shinhwa. After several casting offers from KBS,[32][33] Mun returned to television in August 2014 with the drama Discovery of Love, which reunites him with Jung Yu-mi, who was his co-star in MBC's 2007 Que Sera, Sera.[34][35][36] It was also announced that he had formed his own management company, E&J Entertainment, with his manager of 10 years, Lee Jong-hyun.[37][unreliable source?]
Despite its average 7% Nielsen rating, Mun and the team of Discovery of Romance received praise for their acting and Mun won a 'Triple Crown at KBS 2014 Year End Award (Excellent Actor, Best Couple, and Netizen Award). With this win, Mun had won acting awards at all three major Broadcasting Networks. In 2015, Discovery of Love was nominated for the 2015 Rockie Award[38] in the Melodrama category alongside 30 Vies (Canada), EastEnders (UK), Grey's Anatomy (USA), My Sunshine (China), and Mysterious Summer (Japan). In an 2015 Instiz discussion post about viewers' favorite drama characters, Mun's Kang Tae-ha Discovery of Romance stays in top 10 at #6.[39][unreliable source?]
2016: "Another Oh Hae-young" and "Three Meals a Day"
After Shinhwa's 18 Anniversary in March, Mun returned to acting and appeared in the South Korean TV cable (tvN) drama Another Oh Hae-young with Seo Hyun-jin. The drama premiered on May 2 with better rating than its predecessor Pied Piper. It broke its projected rating of 5% of on its 6th episode and becomes tvN's all-time highest rated drama for their Monday - Tuesday time-slot with the rating of 9.9% for its final episode. Another Oh Hae-young team was rewarded a trip to Thailand after the drama ended. At tvN10 Awards on October 9, Mun was awarded the title of "Ro-co King".[40]Seo Hyun-jin was also crowned "Ro-co Queen" for their roles in Another Oh Hae-Young.
On September 16, in a preview for the new season of tvN "Three Meals a Day", it showed Mun joined as a cast member for Season 3 of Three Meals A Day - Fishing Village 3[41][unreliable source?] with Lee Seo-jin and Yoon Kyun-sang. This season of Fishing Village was filmed at Deukryang Island. The season premiere was on October 14. It was Mun's first appearance as a cast member of a variety show without Shinhwa. Mun surprised everyone with his great cooking skills that earned him the E-Chef title. The show had great rating of above 10% on average with the highest rating of 11.536% (AGB) 13% (TNmS).
At the end of November 2016, Mun and Shinhwa released a mini album Unchanging: Orange as part one of their 13th album.
Mun was chosen to be the model for Jean Michael Basquiat a new premium golf wears and accessories by CJ E&M and ULOS, a Men's cosmetics & skincare by Ostuka Korea.
2017 - 2018: Marriage and Shinhwa's 20th Anniversary
Shinhwa followed up with a comeback in January 2017 with Unchanging: Touch as the second part of their 13th album. On March 24, Shinhwa released Shinhwa 18th, their first self-produced variety show through Naver's paid subscription platform for Vapp+.
Continue to be Jean Michael Basquiat and ULOS brand representative, Eric was also chosen to be the representative for Bibigo[42] by CJ E&M, a global Korean food brand CJ Cheil Jedang. Later this year, together with Kim Sang-joong and Kim Myung-min Eric was chosen by Netmarble Games for their new CF, Lineage 2 Revolution,[43][44] an online & mobile game. Netmmarble Game also released a web drama series featuring Kim Sang-joong, Kim Myung-min, and Eric for their big-scale mobile MMORPG Lineage2 Revolution. In the web drama, Eric played a rookie employee who was trying to survive the hierarchy in a corporate environment, meanwhile he was reigning as the King in Lineage2 Revolution game. However, it was revealed that Eric is an actual high ranking player of "Lineage2 Revolution" in real life.[45]
In February 2017 Eric and actress Na Hye-mi confirmed their relationship after it was reported in the news.[46][unreliable source?] The couple got married on July 1, 2017, at Youngnak Church in Jung-gu, Seoul, South Korea after five years of dating.[47]
In 2018 Eric and Shinhwa had the whole year to celebrate the group's 20th anniversary since debut with various activities starting with a remake music video "All Your Dream",[48] followed by a special fan party on March 24 & 25.[49] The group made a music comeback with a release of a new music video "Kiss Me Like That" in August,[50] followed with a new mini album "Heart".[51] They also met their fans through various fan events as well as appearances on variety shows. Shinhwa wrapped up their year-long anniversary celebration with a 2-day concert at Olympic Gymnastics Arena (KSPO Dome) on October 6 and 7,[52] followed by a concert at Taipei Arena on October 13[53][unreliable source?] and Hong Kong Asia World Expo Hall on November 24.[54]
2019 - 2020: New management, solo activities and return to acting
On January 1, 2019, it was announced that Eric has joined his bandmate Andy at TOP Media.[55] To everyone's surprise, Eric creates his own Youtube channel aguTV to share a various contents, from cooking, outings to how he failed to get a ticket for his own fan meeting.[56] The following month, on February 16, he held a birthday fan meeting "2019 ERIC's Moonday" at Kwanglim Art Center, BBCH Hall.[57][unreliable source?]
His first broadcast activity for 2019 was a cast member for season 3 of tvN's variety show "Will The Locals Eat It?" in America[58][unreliable source?] (also known as 4 Wheeled Restaurant). The show premiered on April 18.
Eric and Shinhwa held their 21st anniversary concert, 'Chapter 4' at KSPO Dome on April 20 and 21, 2019.
On May 22, Mun was cast for MBC's new variety show, "The Barber of Seville".[59] The filming took place in Seville, Spain and broadcast every Thursday from July 11 - Sep.12th.
Eric was also expected to make a come back to drama this year. It was reported that Eric and Go Joon-hee are in talk to join KBS's fantasy rom-com drama "Perfume"[60][unreliable source?] but he declined the offer. On Nov.05th, Eric was confirmed as lead actor for Channel A's drama, "Yoobyeolna! Chef Moon"[61] with Go Won-hee as lead actress. The drama is expected to be broadcast in March 2020.
On April 1, 2020, it was reported that Eric and Yoo In-na are reviewing offers to star in MBC's rom-com drama 'The Spy Who Loved Me'.[62][unreliable source?] About 2 months later, on June 22, Eric was confirmed as lead actor for MBC's rom-com drama 'The Spy Who Loved Me' together with Yoo In-na and Lim Ju-hwan. The drama is scheduled to premiere sometime in October 2020.
2022: End of a contract with the same agency
In October 2022, Eric terminates his contract with TOP Media.[63]
Personal life
Relationship and marriage
In 2014, it was first reported that Eric had been dating actress and model Na Hye-mi[64] but did not confirm their relationship. It was not until February 2017 when they publicly confirmed it through their respective agencies.[65][unreliable source?] After five years of dating, Mun and Na got married on July 1, 2017, in a private church ceremony with family and friends at Youngnak Presbyterian Church in Jung-gu, Seoul.[66][47]
On August 23, 2022, Eric's agency announced that Na is pregnant with the couple's first child, after five years of marriage.[67] She gave birth to a son on March 1, 2023.[68]
Shinhwa is a South Korean six-member boy band based in Seoul, composed of Eric Mun, Lee Min-woo, Kim Dong-wan, Shin Hye-sung, Jun Jin, and Andy Lee. Launched by SM Entertainment on March 24, 1998, the group signed with Good Entertainment in 2004 before creating their Shinhwa Company to manage their career as a band. The band struggled initially with their first album before finding commercial success with their sophomore album T.O.P.. When their contract with SM Entertainment expired in July 2003, all six members signed with Good Entertainment and assumed creative control with the release of Brand New. That same year, members began to pursue individual careers.
Lee Sun-ho, mononymously credited as Andy (Korean: 앤디), is a South Korean singer, rapper and the youngest member of six-member boy band Shinhwa. Besides rapping for his band, Andy has ventured out into television acting, musicals, and solo singing. Andy is also the producer of duo Jumper and boy groups Teen Top, 100% and Up10tion.
Kim Jaewon is a South Korean actor. He is best known for the television dramas Romance (2002), Listen to My Heart (2011), May Queen (2012), and The Scandal (2013).
Super Rookie is a 2005 South Korean television series starring Eric Mun, Han Ga-in, Oh Ji-ho, and Lee So-yeon. It aired on MBC from March 23 to May 26, 2005 on Wednesdays and Thursdays at 21:55 for 20 episodes. The workplace comedy is a satire on Korea's corporate culture and unemployment among the country's younger generation. It scored solid viewership ratings in the 20% range.
Kim Dong-wan is a South Korean entertainer, known as a member of South Korean boy band Shinhwa. He has been acting since 2002, and has starred in television dramas such as A Farewell to Sorrow and Children of Heaven. He has said that given the opportunity he would prefer a career in acting rather than as a singer, However, since the release of his debut album, he has stated that now he prefers singing more. From Shinhwa, Kim is the fourth member to go solo, following Lee Min-woo, Shin Hye-sung, and Jun Jin.
We Got Married was a South Korean reality variety show that aired on MBC from 2008 to 2017. The show paired up celebrities who pretended to be married couples and completed various challenges together. The show ran for four seasons and inspired several spin-offs, including a "global edition" of the show that featured non-Korean celebrities.
Park Yoo-chun, formerly known as Micky Yoochun and better known by the mononym Yoochun, is a Korean-American singer-songwriter and actor. He is a former member of the South Korean boy bands JYJ and TVXQ. He has starred in dramas Sungkyunkwan Scandal (2010), Miss Ripley (2011), Rooftop Prince (2012), Missing You (2012), Three Days (2014) and A Girl Who Sees Smells (2015).
Lee Hong-gi, also known mononymously as Hongki, is a South Korean singer, actor, and media personality. He is best known as the front man of rock band F.T. Island. In 2015, Lee debuted as a solo artist with the releases of his first Korean extended play FM302 and his first Japanese album, AM302. As an actor, Lee started his career by starring in children drama Magic Kid Masuri (2002). He later successfully transitioned to adult role and participated in various television dramas, notably You're Beautiful (2009) and A Korean Odyssey (2017). He started a YouTube career by launching personal channel Honggi Jonggi in April 2022.
Nam Ji-hyun is a South Korean actress, who successfully transitioned from being one of the industry's premiere child artists to an acclaimed lead. She is well-loved for her roles in Queen Seondeok (2009), Suspicious Partner (2017), 100 Days My Prince (2018) and 365: Repeat the Year (2020).
Yoo In-na is a South Korean actress. After supporting roles in High Kick! Through the Roof (2009–10) and Secret Garden (2010), she rose to fame as the lead actress in Queen and I (2012), which led to a supporting role in My Love from the Star (2013–14). She is also known for her lead roles in Guardian: The Lonely and Great God (2016–17), one of the highest rated cable television series in South Korea, and Touch Your Heart (2019) and Bo-ra! Deborah (2023).
Hwang Chan-sung, also known mononymously as Chansung, is a South Korean singer, rapper, songwriter and actor. He is a member of the Korean boy band 2PM. He made his debut as an actor in the 2006 comedy series Unstoppable High Kick, and since then has gone on to star in the Japanese drama Kaitō Royale (2011) and 7th Grade Civil Servant (2013).
Park Soo-ah, previously known by the stage name Lizzy, is a South Korean singer and actress. She debuted as a new member of girl group After School in March 2010. Apart from her group's activities, she has also starred in various television dramas, including All My Love (2011) and Angry Mom (2015). She debuted as a solo artist with the digital single "Not an Easy Girl" in January 2015.
Kim Dong-jun, also known as just Dongjun, is a South Korean singer and actor. He debuted as member of boy group ZE:A. Apart from his group's activities, he has established himself as an actor, notably through his participation in various television dramas such as The Fugitive of Joseon (2013), Neighborhood Lawyer Jo Deul-ho (2016), Black (2017) and About Time (2018). He has also starred in films such as A Company Man (2012), Take My Hand (2014), and Dead Again (2017).
Shim Yi-young is a South Korean actress.
This is the videography by South Korean six-member boy band Shinhwa. Formed in 1998 under SM Entertainment, the band consists of Eric Mun, Lee Min-woo, Kim Dong-wan, Shin Hye-sung, Jun Jin and Andy Lee. They moved to Good Entertainment in July 2003, upon the expiration of their contract. In 2011, after a four-year hiatus, during which they served individual mandatory military services, they formed the Shinhwa Company to continue to perform together. This list the official music videos released by SM Entertainment, Good Entertainment and Shinhwa Company.
Jellyfish Entertainment, is a South Korean entertainment company established by composer and producer Hwang Se-jun in Seoul, South Korea.
Heo Sol-ji, known mononymously as Solji, is a South Korean singer. She was a member of the ballad duo group 2NB from 2006 to 2010. She later became a vocal trainer before joining EXID in July 2012 as the leader and main vocalist.
Kim Hye-yoon is a South Korean actress and model. She first became known through her portrayal as Kang Ye-seo in JTBC's television series Sky Castle (2018–2019) and received her first leading role with MBC's Extraordinary You (2019). She has been dubbed by various Korean media as the Nation's Little Sister.
Na Hye-mi is a South Korean actress and model. She made her first screen debut with a supporting role in Address Unknown film when she was 10 year-old. After Unstoppable High Kick, Hye-mi took a long break from acting to complete her studies. Hye-mi was model for various Television advertisement such as Samsung notebooks M, Kia Morning, Acuvue, KB card... as well as magazines like ELLE Girl, Ceci, Vogue, bnt and Cosmopolitan.
The Spies Who Loved Me is a South Korean television series starring Eric Mun, Yoo In-na, and Lim Ju-hwan. The series revolves around Kang Ah-Reum, a wedding dress designer, and her two husbands; ex Jun Ji-Hoon and current husband Derek Hyun, who both hide their real identities from her. It premiered on MBC TV on October 21, 2020, airing twice a week. It is also available on iQIYI for streaming worldwide.
↑ Kim, Ye-na (October 13, 2022). "에릭, 티오피미디어와 결별..."전속계약 종료" [공식입장]"[Eric breaks up with TOP Media... "Exclusive contract termination" [Official position]] (in Korean). X-ports News. Archived from the original on October 13, 2022. Retrieved October 13, 2022– via Naver.
↑ Kim, Na-young (August 23, 2022). "에릭♥나혜미, 결혼 6년 만에 부모 된다 (공식)"[Eric ♥ Na Hye-mi, become parents after five years of marriage (official)]. MK Sports (in Korean). Archived from the original on August 23, 2022. Retrieved August 23, 2022– via Naver.
↑ Jeong, Yoo-jin (March 1, 2023). "에릭♥나혜미, 부모됐다...오늘 득남 "산모와 아기 모두 건강" [공식]"[Eric ♥ Na Hye-mi became parents... Today's birth "Mother and baby are both healthy" [Official]] (in Korean). News1. Archived from the original on March 1, 2023. Retrieved March 1, 2023– via Naver.
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