Ji Hoon Jung
Ji Hoon Jung(born June 25, 1982), also known as Rain, is a well-knownKorean actor and Pop artist. Bi, which means Rain in Korean, uses the name name when performing as a singer or dancer.
He discovered his passion for dancing ever since he was in the 6th grade. As a teenager, he was part of the boyband group called “fanclub” and years after the group ended, Park Jin Young (Korean producer/singer who worked with American singers Will Smith, Mase, Lil’ Kim, 3LW, Tyrese) took Bi under his wings after he auditioned for JYP entertainment and trained him for years in dancing and singing. Bi was a back-dancer for a famous Korean singer named Park Ji Yoon and Park Jin Young himself. During those training years, Bi was not at home much and would lie to his parents telling them he was gonna study in the library while in fact he went to the dance studio. He struggled financially and at times had to go without meals. Nevertheless, he continued to focus on his dance and singing even though he was anxiously waiting for his debut.
Finally in 2002 he debuted with the song “nappun namja (bad guy)” charming fans with his singing and powerful choreography. After the 1st album, he starred in the drama “Sangdoo Hakyo Gaja (sangdoo let’s go to school)”; many people were impressed by his acting skills regardless that it was his first time acting in a drama. Following the success of his debut, he came back with a new set of style in his 2nd album and hit song “how to avoid the sun”.
In 2004, he starred in another successful drama called “Full House” which has aired in other Asian countries such as the Philippines, Indonesia, Singapore, Taiwan, Hong Kong, China, Malaysia, Vietnam, Thailand, [[Japan] and was one of the highest rating Korean drama which has won the hearts of many fans across Asia. His performance in Full House has won him the Best Actor Award at the KBS Acting Awards.
His 3rd album “it’s raining” has been released in Japan, Taiwan, Hong Kong, China, Singapore, Indonesia, Thailand and has top the foreign music charts in those countries; the album has sold more than 1 million in Asia and it is still in the process of being released in other Asian countries as well (soon to be in the Philippines). His concert called “Rainy day” which was held in Korea and Japan had concert tickets sold out on the first day.