Members
- Junsu (준수) (born January 15, 1988), full name Kim Junsu (김준수), was born in Daegu, South Korea.
- Nichkhun (닉쿤) (born June 24, 1988), full name Nichkhun Buck Horvejkul (นิชคุณ หรเวชกุล), is an American citizen of Thai and Chinese descent. He was born in Rancho Cucamonga, California.
- Taecyeon (택연) (born December 27, 1988), full name Ok Taecyeon (옥택연), was born in Seoul, South Korea. As a young child, Taecyeon (along with his family) moved to Bedford, Massachusetts, where his parents and older sister still currently reside. He originally auditioned for JYP Entertainment in New York City to become a model.
- Wooyoung (우영) (born April 30, 1989), full name Jang Wooyoung (장우영), is from Busan, Korea and was selected as a JYP trainee through MGoon’s JYP auditions, of which he won first place against 5,000 other candidates.
- Junho (준호) (born January 25, 1990), full name Lee Junho (이준호), is from Ilsan, Korea and signed a contract with JYP Entertainment after winning the “JYP’s Superstar Survival” talent search (which Taecyeon and Chansung were also contestants in) in 2006, placing 1st out of 6,000 competitors. Due to his looks, he is often compared with Korean entertainer Rain).
- Chansung (찬성) (born February 11, 1990), full name Hwang Chansung (황찬성), acted in the Korean sitcom “Unstoppable High Kick” prior to his debut with 2PM. Chansung participated in the same survival game as Junho but lost. He auditioned a second time and was accepted into the company. He rapped in 2AM’s song “To Her” (그녀에게).
Former member
- Jaebeom (재범) (born April 25, 1987, full name Park Jaebeom (박재범), was born and raised in Seattle, Washington. Originally entering JYP Entertainment as a rapper and b-boy, he trained for four years to improve his singing and Korean. Due to his comments on his MySpace page, he left the group on September 8, 2009. On February 25, 2010, JYP Entertainment announced that Jaebeom’s contract was permanently terminated.
Pre-debut
The members of 2PM all auditioned (except Nichkhun, who was scouted) to become part of JYP Entertainment. Some members already had experience in the entertainment industry, including Jun. K, who had won several singing competitions. Ok Taecyeon, Lee Junho and Hwang Chansung had participated in the show SuperStar Survival. Part of the members had previously lived in the U.S., ex-leader Jaebeom in the Seattle area, Nichkhun in Southern California, while Taecyeon spent seven years in Massachusetts before returning to Korea.
Originally, the members of 2PM were part of a larger group known as One Day. A documentary called Hot Blood Men captured the group's training days. In this documentary, former member Jaebeom finished at the top spot and received the most fan votes. It also featured the elimination of three trainees from the group: Lee Swichi, Im Daehun, and Yoon Doo-joon were all cut.
- Junsu (준수) (born January 15, 1988), full name Kim Junsu (김준수), was born in Daegu, South Korea.
- Nichkhun (닉쿤) (born June 24, 1988), full name Nichkhun Buck Horvejkul (นิชคุณ หรเวชกุล), is an American citizen of Thai and Chinese descent. He was born in Rancho Cucamonga, California.
- Taecyeon (택연) (born December 27, 1988), full name Ok Taecyeon (옥택연), was born in Seoul, South Korea. As a young child, Taecyeon (along with his family) moved to Bedford, Massachusetts, where his parents and older sister still currently reside. He originally auditioned for JYP Entertainment in New York City to become a model.
- Wooyoung (우영) (born April 30, 1989), full name Jang Wooyoung (장우영), is from Busan, Korea and was selected as a JYP trainee through MGoon’s JYP auditions, of which he won first place against 5,000 other candidates.
- Junho (준호) (born January 25, 1990), full name Lee Junho (이준호), is from Ilsan, Korea and signed a contract with JYP Entertainment after winning the “JYP’s Superstar Survival” talent search (which Taecyeon and Chansung were also contestants in) in 2006, placing 1st out of 6,000 competitors. Due to his looks, he is often compared with Korean entertainer Rain).
- Chansung (찬성) (born February 11, 1990), full name Hwang Chansung (황찬성), acted in the Korean sitcom “Unstoppable High Kick” prior to his debut with 2PM. Chansung participated in the same survival game as Junho but lost. He auditioned a second time and was accepted into the company. He rapped in 2AM’s song “To Her” (그녀에게).
Former member
- Jaebeom (재범) (born April 25, 1987, full name Park Jaebeom (박재범), was born and raised in Seattle, Washington. Originally entering JYP Entertainment as a rapper and b-boy, he trained for four years to improve his singing and Korean. Due to his comments on his MySpace page, he left the group on September 8, 2009. On February 25, 2010, JYP Entertainment announced that Jaebeom’s contract was permanently terminated.
Pre-debut
The members of 2PM all auditioned (except Nichkhun, who was scouted) to become part of JYP Entertainment. Some members already had experience in the entertainment industry, including Jun. K, who had won several singing competitions. Ok Taecyeon, Lee Junho and Hwang Chansung had participated in the show SuperStar Survival. Part of the members had previously lived in the U.S., ex-leader Jaebeom in the Seattle area, Nichkhun in Southern California, while Taecyeon spent seven years in Massachusetts before returning to Korea.
Originally, the members of 2PM were part of a larger group known as One Day. A documentary called Hot Blood Men captured the group's training days. In this documentary, former member Jaebeom finished at the top spot and received the most fan votes. It also featured the elimination of three trainees from the group: Lee Swichi, Im Daehun, and Yoon Doo-joon were all cut.
By the end of the training process, One Day had been reduced to an eleven-member group. However, before the group released any studio albums, the band was split into two groups: 2AM and 2PM.
Debut and Controversy 2008-2009
While most Korean boy bands at the time, adopted a "pretty boy" (Korean: ggotminam) image, JYP Entertainment opted to brand 2PM as a more mature group. From here, they received their nickname "Beastly Idols".
Jaebeom was chosen to serve as the group's leader, as he was the oldest member and also the one who all the members acknowledged as the most talented one. He would play key roles in several of the band's early singles and associated music videos.
2PM debuted with their single "10 Out of 10" (10점 만점에 10점) on 4 September 2008. In October 2008, they began to promote "Only You", another song from their debut mini album, Hottest Time of the Day.
While most Korean boy bands at the time, adopted a "pretty boy" (Korean: ggotminam) image, JYP Entertainment opted to brand 2PM as a more mature group. From here, they received their nickname "Beastly Idols".
Jaebeom was chosen to serve as the group's leader, as he was the oldest member and also the one who all the members acknowledged as the most talented one. He would play key roles in several of the band's early singles and associated music videos.
2PM debuted with their single "10 Out of 10" (10점 만점에 10점) on 4 September 2008. In October 2008, they began to promote "Only You", another song from their debut mini album, Hottest Time of the Day.
In April 2009, the group released their second mini album, 2:00PM Time For Change, which they began promoting that month. In May they won their first Mutizen Song award on M!Countdown, followed by two more and a Music Bank award. On 11 June, 2PM began promotions for "Niga Mipda" (니가 밉다, lit. I Hate You) on M!Countdown. In July 2PM achieved first place on theM!Countdown and Music Bank charts for the song "Niga Mipda". On 30 July, 2PM won the 'Only One Song' award on M!Countdown.
Later that year a controversy regarding Jaebeom emerged. On 4 September 2009, articles surfaced on the internet regarding Jaebeom's posts from 2005 on his personal Myspace account, in which he expressed his dislike for Korea while still a trainee for JYP Entertainment. These posts, leaked by a netizen who hacked his Myspace account, were taken out of context and severely misinterpreted by the Korean media. Jaebeom issued an apology regarding this matter. Although some demanded that Jaebeom should be forced out of 2PM, JYP Entertainment CEO Park Jin-young stated on 7 September lent the singer a vote of confidence, suggesting that he would remain in the group. Yet the following day, Jaebeom announced on his official fancafe that he would leave the group and return to the United States for a while to calm the situation. He planned to return to school and improve his understanding of music. At the same time, he apologized to his fellow band members for not being a good leader and older brother for them. He also promised to come as a better person. Park Jin-young confirmed that 2PM would continue on as a six-member group. Due to the sensitive topic of Jaebeom's departure, 2PM withdrew for several weeks from their appearances on variety shows.
Here is a link for more information on 2PM: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2PM
Later that year a controversy regarding Jaebeom emerged. On 4 September 2009, articles surfaced on the internet regarding Jaebeom's posts from 2005 on his personal Myspace account, in which he expressed his dislike for Korea while still a trainee for JYP Entertainment. These posts, leaked by a netizen who hacked his Myspace account, were taken out of context and severely misinterpreted by the Korean media. Jaebeom issued an apology regarding this matter. Although some demanded that Jaebeom should be forced out of 2PM, JYP Entertainment CEO Park Jin-young stated on 7 September lent the singer a vote of confidence, suggesting that he would remain in the group. Yet the following day, Jaebeom announced on his official fancafe that he would leave the group and return to the United States for a while to calm the situation. He planned to return to school and improve his understanding of music. At the same time, he apologized to his fellow band members for not being a good leader and older brother for them. He also promised to come as a better person. Park Jin-young confirmed that 2PM would continue on as a six-member group. Due to the sensitive topic of Jaebeom's departure, 2PM withdrew for several weeks from their appearances on variety shows.
Here is a link for more information on 2PM: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2PM