Lee Jun-ho
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Lee Jun-ho | |
|---|---|
 Lee in 2025 | |
| Born | January 25, 1990 |
| Education | |
| Occupations |
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| Years active | 2008–present |
| Agent | O3 Collective |
| Musical career | |
| Genres | |
| Instrument | Vocals |
| Labels |
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| Member of | 2PM |
| Formerly of | |
| Website | o3collective.kr |
| Korean name | |
| Hangul | 이준호 |
| RR | I Junho |
| MR | I Chunho |
| Signature | |
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Lee Jun-ho (Korean: 이준호; born January 25, 1990), known mononymously as Junho, is a South Korean singer-songwriter and actor. He rose to prominence as a member of the South Korean boy band 2PM, before making his solo music debut in Japan in 2013. As a solo artist, he released two studio albums, one compilation album and eight extended plays, achieving significant success in Japan.
Lee made his acting debut in the film Cold Eyes (2013), followed by Twenty (2015). He gained recognition for his roles in television series including Good Manager (2017), Rain or Shine (2017–2018), Confession (2019), The Red Sleeve (2021), King the Land (2023) and Typhoon Family (2025). His performance in The Red Sleeve earned him the Baeksang Arts Award for Best Actor – Television.[2]
Early life and education
[edit]Lee was inspired to pursue filmmaking after watching the film Shiri in elementary school. However, by the fourth grade, his interests had shifted toward acting. Although he initially enjoyed dancing and singing, he aspired to become an actor and subsequently enrolled in the drama program at Sewon High School. While in high school, Lee was active in the school's theater club and participated in various provincial and poetry competitions.[3][4][5]
Lee attended Howon University in Gunsan, South Korea, where he completed his undergraduate studies.[6][7] He later earned a master's degree in cinematography from Sejong University.[8]
Career
[edit]Career beginnings
[edit]In 2006, Lee first gained public attention when he won Superstar Survival. The show began with twelve teenage competitors, who were eliminated one by one over the course of the competition until three finalists remained. Its format was similar to that of the reality show Survivor. Lee signed a contract with JYP Entertainment after winning the contest, placing first among 6,500 competitors.[9][10][5]
In 2008, he participated in Mnet's Hot Blooded Men, a program that followed the rigorous training of thirteen aspiring trainees competing for a coveted place in the boy band One Day.[11][12] The program ultimately led to the formation of two boy bands, 2AM and 2PM.
Half a year after the airing of Hot Blooded Men, 2PM made their debut with the single "10 Out of 10" from their first single album, Hottest Time of the Day.[13] The group gained mainstream success in South Korea following the release of their second single album, 2:00PM Time For Change, in 2009.
Despite the group's success, Lee has spoken about his lack of opportunities and recognition early in his career. He recalled that he was often alone in the dormitory while the other members were busy with their scheduled activities. Lee also stated that, despite his interest in acting, he believed JYP Entertainment had no intention of allowing him to pursue it at the time.[14]
Solo music career
[edit]In 2013, Lee made his debut as a solo artist in Japan with the release of his debut solo EP, Kimi no Koe, for which he served as producer, composer, and lyricist across all tracks.[15] The EP topped Tower Records' daily chart and peaked at number three on Oricon's daily and weekly album charts.[16][17] On July 9, Lee began his first solo tour, Kimi no Koe, which comprised 12 shows across five cities and concluded on August 29 in Tokyo.[18][19]
On July 9, 2014, Lee released his second self-composed Japanese EP, Feel.[20] The EP topped Oricon's daily album chart on the day of its release and reached number two on the weekly chart.[21][22] On July 3, Lee began his second solo Japanese tour, Feel, which encompassed 12 shows across five cities and attracted 50,000 fans. The final show at the Nippon Budokan on August 13 was broadcast live in 38 theaters across 23 prefectures in Japan.[23][24]
On July 15, 2015, Lee released his third Japanese EP, So Good, which peaked at number three on Oricon's weekly albums chart, with first-week sales exceeding 40,000 copies.[25] The EP was described as demonstrating Lee's growth as an artist, with emotional tracks like "Good Life" and "Pressure" reflecting his personal thoughts and emotions.[26] On July 7, Lee began his 2015 Japanese tour, Last Night, which comprised 15 shows across seven cities and attracted over 55,000 fans.[27] The tour included two performances each at Yokohama Arena and World Memorial Hall. The final show at the World Memorial Hall on August 6 was broadcast live in 41 theaters across 32 cities in Japan.[28]
In September, Lee released his debut studio album in South Korea, One,[29] consisting of Korean versions of eleven previously released self-composed Japanese tracks.[30] For the album's promotion, Lee made his first solo appearances on South Korean music shows, including M Countdown, Music Bank, Show! Music Core and Inkigayo, performing the title track "Fire".[31] He subsequently held two Last Night concerts at the Olympic Hall in Seoul on September 19 and 20.[32]
In July 2016, Lee released his fourth Japanese EP, DSMN. The EP became Lee's first release to top both Oricon and Tower Records' daily albums charts,[33] and peaked at number two on Oricon's weekly albums chart.[34] The pre-release single "DSMN" also gained popularity on a Japanese ringtone platform.[35] Lee held a special fan event, Whispering Summer with Junho ~Acoustic Talk Night~, on August 22.[36] His fourth Japanese tour, Hyper, concluded with two performances at the Yoyogi National Gymnasium on August 24 and 25. Lee was responsible for the concert's overall production, including the setlist, opening video, costume concept, stage sound and lighting.[37][38] On December 3 and 4, Lee held the special encore concerts Last Hyper Night at the Nippon Budokan, with 20,000 fans in attendance.[39] The concerts were also broadcast live at theaters across Japan.[40]
In July 2017, Lee released his fifth Japanese EP, 2017 S/S,[41] which peaked at number two on Oricon's weekly albums chart.[42] Tower Records ranked it as the second best-selling Japanese release of 2017 by a Korean artist.[43] From July to August, Lee held his fifth Japanese tour, 2017 S/S.[44]
In September 2017, Lee released his first Korean EP, Canvas.[45] Music videos were released for "Fine", which Lee dedicated to his late cat Rambo, "Bye Bye" featuring Cheeze, and the title track "Canvas".[46] Following the EP's release, Lee held a fan event, The Special Day "Canvas", on September 16.[47]
In January 2018, Lee released his sixth Japanese EP, Winter Sleep, departing from the summer release and touring pattern established by his previous five Japanese EPs and accompanying tours, which had earned him the moniker "Lee Natsu" ("Lee Summer").[48] The title track "Winter Sleep" was released in both Korean and Japanese.[49] The EP topped Oricon's daily albums chart and Tower Records' weekly albums chart, and peaked at number three on Oricon's weekly albums chart.[50][51] Lee also held his first solo winter tour in Japan, Winter Boy (冬の少年), which comprised nine shows across five cities and concluded with two performances at the Nippon Budokan on February 23 and 24.[52]
On July 11, 2018, Lee released his seventh Japanese EP, Souzou. The EP topped Oricon's daily albums chart with first-day sales of 27,200 copies and became his first release to top Oricon's weekly albums chart.[53][54] His summer solo tour, Flashlight, began in late June in Nagoya and comprised 12 performances across five cities in Japan.[55] The tour included performances at Nippon Budokan on August 20 and 21 and Osaka Castle Hall on September 5;[55] a scheduled performance at Osaka Castle Hall on September 4 was cancelled due to Typhoon Jebi.[56] On October 6, Lee held his first solo fan meetings, The Special Day "Unforgettable Day" (잊을 수 없는 날), in Seoul.[57]
On December 5, Lee released the Japanese compilation album Junho the Best, consisting of sixteen tracks.[58] From December 6 to 8, he held a concert series of the same name at Nippon Budokan.[59][60] In Tower Records' year-end list of best-selling Japanese albums by Korean artists, Souzou and Winter Sleep ranked sixth and tenth, respectively. Lee was the only artist with multiple entries and the only solo artist in the top 10.[61]
In January 2019, Lee released his second Korean studio album, Two.[62] On March 23 and 24, he brought the Junho the Best concert series to South Korea with two shows at Olympic Hall in Seoul.[63]
In January 2022, Lee held the fan meetings Junho the Moment in Seoul on January 22 and 23, with the second show also broadcast online via Beyond Live.[64] He subsequently held the fan-concert series Before Midnight at SK Olympic Handball Gymnasium in Seoul from August 12 to 14 and at Nippon Budokan in Tokyo on August 20 and 21.[65] The final show was broadcast live via Stagecrowd and Streaming+ and in theaters across Japan, and marked the 100th solo concert of Lee's career.[66]
After filming King the Land in 2023, Lee began his first arena tour in Japan since completing his military service, The Day We Meet Again (Mata Aeru Hi). The tour comprised six shows, with two performances each in Yokohama, Kobe, and Nagoya, beginning at Pia Arena in Yokohama on July 22 and 23. The final show at Nippon Gaishi Hall in Nagoya on August 27 was streamed online and broadcast live at nine CGV theaters in South Korea. The tour marked the 10th anniversary of Lee's solo debut.[67] To commemorate the anniversary, he released the special Japanese single "Can I".[68] Following the tour, Lee held his first solo fan-meeting tour Junho the Moment 2023 from October 14 to December 10, with eight stops across Asia: Taipei, Macau, Manila, Kuala Lumpur, Jakarta, Hong Kong, Singapore, and Bangkok.[69][70]
On January 13 and 14, 2024, Lee held concerts at Jamsil Indoor Stadium in Seoul as an extension of The Day We Meet Again tour.[71] A concert film was screened at 50 CGV theaters across South Korea in July to mark the 11th anniversary of his solo debut.