Junjin (전진)

As a founding member of Shinhwa, the long-running South Korean group that debuted in 1998, Junjin has spent more than two decades as part of one of K-pop's most enduring acts. Born Park Choong-jae on August 19, 1980, he has built a parallel identity as a solo singer and actor alongside his group commitments, navigating the full arc from the SM Entertainment system that launched Shinhwa to the group's own independent label, Shinhwa Company.

Debut and career foundation

Shinhwa's origins lie with SM Entertainment, where Junjin and his fellow members came up through the label's early idol training infrastructure before debuting in 1998. The group's longevity — marked in March 2026 by a 28th debut anniversary — is unusual by any measure in the K-pop industry, where most acts of that era have long since dissolved. Junjin's own trajectory through the group included work under Good Entertainment before the members eventually consolidated under Shinhwa Company, a label structure that gave the group direct ownership over their career.

Beyond his work with Shinhwa, Junjin has pursued both solo music releases and acting projects over the years, adding range to a resume that began squarely in the idol framework.

Activities

In March 2026, Junjin marked Shinhwa's 28th debut anniversary publicly, describing his fellow members as "brothers and friends" — a statement that carried particular weight given that it came while another Shinhwa member, Kim Dong-wan, was at the center of an ongoing controversy. The comment was widely read as a reaffirmation of Junjin's loyalty to the group and its collective identity.

His personal life has also been a point of public interest in recent years. Junjin married influencer Ryu Yi-seo, and the couple — seven years into their marriage as of 2026 — have documented aspects of their relationship through Ryu's YouTube channel and appearances on the program *My Love*. In early 2026, the two shared that they were preparing for a second child, with Ryu Yi-seo undergoing IVF treatment and documenting the process openly, including the physical difficulties of the egg retrieval injections. Junjin spoke to the emotional weight of witnessing the process alongside her.

Standing within Shinhwa

Shinhwa's 28-year run places Junjin in a small category of K-pop artists who have remained active and intact as a group across multiple industry eras — from the late 1990s idol boom through the global expansion of the 2000s and 2010s. His own public remarks around the anniversary reflect an awareness of what that continuity represents, framing the group not as a professional arrangement but as a lasting personal bond.