Park Yoo-chun

Park Yoo-chun
Native name	박유천
Born	Park Yoo-chun (1986-06-04) June 4, 1986 Seoul, South Korea
Occupation	Singer-songwriter actor
Musical career
Genres	K-pop R&B
Instruments	Vocals
Years active	2003–2015 (hiatus; military service)
Labels	C-JeS Entertainment Warner Music
Associated acts	JYJ TVXQ

Park Yoo-chun (born June 4, 1986), formerly known as Micky Yoochun and better known by the mononym Yoochun, is a South Korean singer-songwriter and actor. He is a member of the South Korean boy group JYJ and former member of TVXQ. He has starred in dramas Sungkyunkwan Scandal (2010), Miss Ripley (2011), Rooftop Prince (2012), Missing You (2012), Three Days (2014) and The Girl Who Sees Smells (2015).

In June 2016, while in the middle of his two-year mandatory military service, Park became the subject of a string of sexual assault charges. In July 2016, Park was acquitted of all four charges and counter-sued his accusers of false accusation and attempted blackmail.^[1][2]

Early life

Park Yoo-chun was born on June 4, 1986 in Seoul, South Korea to a wealthy family. His family moved to the United States in 1998. He lived in Fairfax, Virginia, where he attended Holmes Middle School and Chantilly High School. Later his parents divorced.^[3] In 2003, Park returned to South Korea alone. He graduated from Kyung-hee University. His father, who died on March 14, 2012, of an undisclosed illness, was a businessman. He has a younger brother, Park Yu-hwan, who is also an actor.

Musical career

TVXQ

In 2003, Park returned to South Korea after he was scouted by Brothers Entertainment. He was later signed as an artist by S.M. Entertainment.^[4]

From 2003 to 2009, Park performed as a member of the best-selling K-pop boy band TVXQ. In July 2009, Park and two of his TVXQ bandmates, Jaejoong and Junsu, filed a lawsuit against their South Korean agency S.M. Entertainment. Through their lawyers, the members stated that the 13-year contract was excessively long, schedules were held out without the confirmation or permission of the members, contract terms have been extended and changed without their knowledge or consent and that the group's earnings were not fairly distributed to the members. After TVXQ's Japanese label announced a group hiatus in early 2010, they formed a new three member group initially known as JUNSU/JAEJOONG/YUCHUN in Japan.

In November 28, 2012, the legal battle between JYJ and S.M. finally ended. Both sides agreed to retiring every judicial accusation against each other and not interfering in each other's actions.

JYJ

JYJ in 2014 Asian Games opening ceremony

In September 2010, JYJ released extended play The..., which debuted at number one on Japan's Oricon album charts.^[5] However, Avex had announced the suspension and when in Japan, the same month that year.^[6]

JYJ proceeded to release The Beginning, a global album which was sung in English. JYJ promoted the new album via a worldwide showcase tour throughout October and November with dates in South Korea, Southeast Asia and the United States.
In January 25, 2011, JYJ released Korean extended play Their Rooms "Our Story"." JYJ's second group album and first full length Korean-language album In Heaven was released September 28, 2011.

Starting from April, Park toured Asia and North America for JYJ's first Worldwide Tour.^[7] The tour was then extended to Europe and South America, adding another four stops in Spain, Germany, Chile and Peru.

Solo career

Park in 2011

Park is featured in "Tokyo Lovelight" from DJ Makai's mini-album, Stars. He was also one of the featured rappers on the song "Heartquake", a track from Super Junior's third album, Sorry, Sorry.^[8]

For Miss Ripley, Park sang "너를 위한 빈자리 (The Empty Space for You)". It appeared in the ninth episode of the drama and was released on the Miss Ripley OST (Part 3).

Songwriting

Park in 2012

Park has written and composed several songs that have appeared on TVXQ's Korean and Japanese albums. As a member of SM Town, he contributed to the 2007 winter album Only Love with his composition "Evergreen". Park also wrote and composed "사랑 안녕 사랑 (Love Bye Love)", featured on the group's fourth Korean studio album Mirotic.^[9] For the Trick project, he wrote the lyrics to his solo "My Girlfriend", entirely in English.^[10]

"Kiss the Baby Sky", one of the A-side's for TVXQ's twenty-fifth Japanese single, marked the first time that one of the songs both written and composed by Park was released on a Japanese single.^[11]

With TVXQ members U-Know Yunho and Xiah Junsu, Park wrote the rap lyrics to "Love After Love", which appeared on their second Korean studio album, Rising Sun. For the group's Japanese releases, Park wrote and co-composed "Kiss Shita Mama, Sayonara" (Kissしたまま、さよなら, lit. As We Kiss, Goodbye) with Hero for T, TVXQ's third Japanese album.^[12] In September 2009, he and Hero released a self-written duet, "Colors (Melody and Harmony)/Shelter", which was used as the image song for Hello Kitty's 35th anniversary.^[13]

Park has also written songs for JYJ's albums. "I Love You", a track featured in JYJ's 2010 album The Beginning, was penned by Park. In January 2011, Park was the lyricist/composer in JYJ's music essay called Their Rooms "Our Story" for the song "이름없는 노래 Part 1 (A Song Without A Name, Part 1)". In addition, he also composed the rap in bandmate Junsu's song, "Xiahtic". For In Heaven, Park co-wrote "Get Out" with bandmate Jaejoong.

Acting career

Yoochun at "Birth of actor, Park Yoochun" open talk

Park's starting minor roles were with TVXQ, in Banjun Theater and Vacation.^[14][15]

In June 2010 Park began his official acting career by appearing in the Japanese BeeTV mobile drama Beautiful Love ～君がいれば～ (Beautiful Love ~If you were here ~) as Young-soo, the runaway heir of a conglomerate.

Two months later, Park made his Korean debut as an actor in the hit 2010 KBS drama Sungkyunkwan Scandal (성균관스캔들). He portrayed Lee Seon Joon, a wealthy, passionable and studious nobleman, who falls in love with his fellow schoolmate—a woman disguised as a man.^[16] He received the "Rookie of the Year" Award, "Netizen Award" and "Best Couple" Award at the 2010 KBS Drama Awards ceremony. He won "Best Newcomer Award" and "Most Popular Actor in a TV Drama" at The 47th Baeksang Arts Awards, the most prestigious entertainment awards in South Korea. Park also won "Best Actor" and "Most Popular Asian Actor" at the 6th Seoul International Drama Awards.

Park in 2014

In 2011, he starred in the MBC drama Miss Ripley with Lee Da-hae, Kim Seung-woo, and Kang Hye-jung.^[17] His character as Song Yoo-hyun has him playing a half-Korean, half-Japanese second-generation director who will falls blindly in love with the antiheroine. At the 2011 MBC Drama Awards, Park won "Best Newcomer" for his role as lead male in "Miss Ripley."

In 2012, he starred in the SBS drama Rooftop Prince with Han Ji-min. Park's third role was Lee Gak, a Joseon era prince who time-travels 300 years to the present day, and also as Yong Tae-yong, third generation of conglomerate. The drama started airing on March 21, 2012. On August 30, Park won "Most Popular Actor in TV Drama" at the 48th Baeksang Arts Awards, crowning him as the most popular actor for two years in row.

On November 7, 2012, Park returned to television by participating in his fourth drama, MBC's Missing You,^[18] in which he portrays homicide detective Han Jung-woo who, in the past when he was fourteen years old, was separated from his first love.

Having played the main character in a SBS and a MBC drama during 2012, Park attended both networks' drama award shows. At the MBC Drama Awards on December 30, the actor won the "Excellence Actor in a Mini-Series" Award for his role in Missing You. At the SBS Drama Awards the following day on the 31st, he received four more awards--"Excellence Actor in a Drama Special", one of the "Top 10 Stars", "Best Couple" (shared with Han Ji-min), and the "Netizen Popularity" Award—at the SBS Drama Awards for his performance in popular drama Rooftop Prince.

He has since achieved a so-called "Grand Slam" by having won trophies from each of South Korea's three major television channels, SBS, MBC, and KBS.^[19]

In 2014 and 2015 he won the title of "Best New Actor" for his performance in Haemoo at numerous entertainment awards, including the Baeksang Arts Awards,^[20] the Blue Dragon Awards, the Daejong Film Awards, the Busan International Film Festival and the SACF Beautiful Artists Awards.^[21]

Sexual assault allegations

On June 10, 2016, while in the middle of his 2-year mandatory military service, Park became a subject of a string of sexual assault allegations.^[22] The first case was filed at Gangnam Police Station and involved a 24-year-old woman (woman A) claiming Park raped her in a bathroom of the nightclub she works at, with underwear being presented as evidence.^[23] The charges were later dropped by the accuser. Two days later, a second woman (woman B) filed charges against the singer-actor claiming she was also raped in a bathroom by Park in December 2015 and claimed through media that she even called the police a few hours after the assault.^[24][25] A third rape charge was filed the day after woman B, with the third woman (woman C) claiming that Park Yoochun raped her in a bathroom in his house.^[26] A fourth woman (woman D) shortly followed with same allegations.^[27][28] South Korean authorities formed a special task force to investigate all the sexual assaults filed. Park's agency denied all allegations.^[29]

When the sexual assault charges were made public, a popular Korean-based fansite of Park's boy-band JYJ expressed extreme disappointment with his actions and declared that they will no longer be supporting Park in any of his endeavors.^[30] Other fans, however, showered him with support from all over the world and expressed their disapproval with the Korea-based fansite.^[31]

On June 20, women C and D's accounts were called into question when Korean media outlet Sports World claimed that Park was had alibi's for the dates women C and D said Park raped them.^[32] His agency stated they would subsequently furnish evidence to prove Park's alibis.^[33]

On July 14, all charges against Park were dropped by the police.^[34] Police found proof discrediting women A and B's claims and police found no proof against Park in the case of women C and D, with both women failing to submit any credible proof against Park.^[35][36] Park's lawyers then sued woman A, her cousin, and her boyfriend for defamation and blackmail.^[37] Woman B was also sued by Park for false accusation.^[38]

On August 3, woman A, her cousin, and her boyfriend's case was transferred to the prosecutor's office.^[39] On August 4, woman A and her cousin were arrested for false accusation and blackmail.^[40] It was then reported that woman B was arrested prior to woman A for false accusation.^[41][42]

Discography

Solo appearances

Filmography

Television series

Film

Narration

Music video appearances

Radio show

Awards and nominations

Tours

References

External links

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Park Yoo-Chun.

• Park Yoo-chun on Cyworld