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Koo Jun-hoe (Koo Jun-hoe)
Also known as: Koo June, Koo Junhoe, Gu Jun Hoe, Koo Ju Ne, JU-NE
Date of birth: 31 March 1997 (29 years old)
Country: South Korean
Koo Jun Hoe, known professionally as JU-NE, is a South Korean singer, dancer, actor, and member of iKON (아이콘). He did not attend high school but later passed the High School Graduation Certification Examination.
He first appeared on TV in March 2009 when he was introduced as a "13-year old Michael Jackson" on "Star King". Then, in 2011, he was a contestant in "K-Pop Star Season 1" but was eliminated in the earlier rounds.
He joined YG Entertainment (YG엔터테인먼트) as a trainee in April 2012 and became part of the agency's Team B. The team was completed when the 6th member was introduced months later. Then, in 2013, he participated in the Mnet reality survival show "WIN: Who Is Next", competing against other trainees in Team A for the chance to debut as a group. Ultimately, Team B lost, and Team A ended up debuting as WINNER.
In June 2014, Team B appeared in the reality survival program "Mix & Match", a follow-up of the original show, in order to determine the final members of YG's second project group. He was one of 3 Team B members who had to compete against 3 new trainees to see which one would earn one of the remaining spots.
After several delays, he finally made his debut in September 2015 as iKON's main vocalist with their first album, "Welcome Back". They already had a fanbase in South Korea, Japan and other countries in Southeast Asia, so they quickly became a successful rookie idol group, winning first places in music shows, holding concerts and fan meetings, and ranking high in all major song/digital charts in the country.
In December 2022, all members ended their contracts with YG Entertainment after 7 years. Fans were fearful about a possible disbandment, but 2 days later, all signed with 143Entertainment (143엔터테인먼트) to continue group activities. He decided to use Ju-ne as his new stage name.
He made his acting debut in 2023 with a role in the drama "True to Love". He was originally supposed to debut with a role in the film "Again 1997" (that was set to be released one year before the drama), but post-production was delayed and the drama ended up premiering ahead of the film.
In July 2024, he made his debut as a solo artist with the mini-album "Bruise".
