I. Who exactly is 2PM?
2PM is the acrobatic younger brother to the ballad group, 2AM. With their intensive and powerful performances, 2PM are called the "beastly idols" (짐승돌) by fans, a term which the media lapped up with much enthusiasm. In contrast to this beastly image, 2PM tends to show a cuter, more dorky side on variety shows, the side that reminds us that these masculine men are really just young boys who genuinely enjoy fooling around with each other.
Before their debut, the boys were originally mixed and matched with the 2AM members and other trainees at the time for the best match-up. As a result, they're very close to 2AM and occasionally exchange tweets with the members over Twitter.
Originally a 7-member group, 2PM's former leader Jay Park left the group in 2010 after his Myspace controversy in 2009. Although this caused a large rift in Hottests worldwide, both Jay and 2PM have risen from the ashes to succeed in their own way.
Now, 2PM is going on strong. Besides winning awards with their latest releases, they have also debuted in Japan with the ending song "Take Off" for the anime, "Ao no Exorcist". They have proven themselves to be a close-knit and hardworking group that exudes testosterone on stage, while messing around like a chaotic family of brothers off stage.
II. So, let's talk about the boys!
((Note: profiles taken from W2D forum, with some additions))
Kim Junsu 김준수 -- The talented musician & affectionate Daegu man
Date of Birth: 1988-01-15
Height: 180cm
Weight: 68kg
Education: Donga Institute of Media and Arts
Blood type: A
Hobbies: Composing, fashion, collecting accessories and shoes
Talents: Singing, writing
Nickname: jun.K, panda
Ideal type: A person who looks pretty when they laugh
Favorite food: "Sour Patch Kids, sushi (ootoro)"
Religion: Buddhist
Random fact: Junsu has a friend in Osaka who teaches him Japanese.
The oldest member of 2PM may share the same name as a certain member of JYJ, but this Junsu is an entirely different species of hot.
Having won various singing competitions way before debut, Junsu is in charge of the main vocals of 2PM. Jo Kwon from 2AM once made a jibe on "Win Win" that Junsu, who was originally slated to be a member of 2AM, was transferred to 2PM because the group needed a good singer. While I believe that the other two vocals in 2PM can hold their own, with his rich, vibrant voice and fantastic range - spanning from Korean trot to English R&B - Junsu really is an invaluable addition to the group.
But singing is not his only musical talent! This boy can write songs, and he has since written and sung a song with Lim Jeong Hee called "가시마" (Don't Go) for the drama "Dream High", as well as the song"Hot", which he composed for 2PM's latest Hands Up album, and is now being used in an MV for the movie, "블라인드" (Blind).
What also makes Junsu stand out from the rest is the fact that he's from Daegu and proud of it, happily showing off his dialect (@ 04:23) whenever he has the chance - unless he's on a variety show! That's when he'll be on his best behaviour, which in turn, prompts the other members to point out that he's holding back. (Watch "2PM on Happy Together"!)
He can also be ridiculously affectionate (@ 4:04) sometimes, which, coupled with his strong dialect, makes him really endearing.
Ok Taecyeon 옥택연 -- The irresistible dork & beastly rapper
Date of Birth: 1988-12-27
Height: 185cm
Weight: 76kg
Education: Dankook University, Management studies
Blood type: AB
Hobbies: Listening to music, Wakeboarding, Skiing
Talents: Cooking
Nickname: Okcat, Beast, Jjit Taecyeon
Ideal type: A person who is good at what she does
Favorite food: "Has there ever been a food I didn't like? None."
Religion: Christian
Random fact: Taecyeon's family lives in Bedford, Massachusetts (USA).
When you think of beastly 2PM, you can never forget its most beastly member, Ok Taecyeon. He's the very essence of an aggressive carnivore on stage, so much so that he coined the term "Jjit (Rip) Taecyeon" on his own. As one of the sexy rappers of 2PM, Taecyeon has also filled in the rap portion for a duet with Baek Ji Young, called "My Ear's Candy". He has also established himself as an actor, playing leading roles in the drama, "Cinderella's Sister", and the largely popular "Dream High".
However, beneath that gigantic body of growing talent, lies one of the dorkiest boys you can find. Taecyeon reads manga, self-learns girl group dances, dresses like a fashion terrorist, and regularly engages in a lot of aegyo. He even created a cat doodle he calls "Okcats", which eventually led to the rest of 2PM merrily playing with the idea backstage. Having lived in Boston for 6 years, he also speaks English. Check it out; he sounds so adorably fobbish. ♥
If you're at all into bromance, Taecyeon has a rather close relationship with 2AM's Seulong. They regularly tweet to each other, take pictures, go to performances and movies together... and of course, there's this. 8D
Nichkhun Buck Horvejkul นิชคุณ หรเวชกุล, 닉쿤 -- The Thai angel & hopeless romantic
Date of Birth: 1988-06-24
Height: 180cm
Weight: 64kg
Education: Los Osos High School (USA)
Blood type: O
Hobbies: Piano, working out, listening to music, watching movies, taking pictures
Talents: Piano, acrobatics
Nicknames: Khunnie Boy, Khunnio Boo, Khunddeng, Thai Prince
Ideal type: A kind, cute, and good person
Favorite food: "There is no food I don't like."
Religion: Buddhist
Random fact: Nichkhun's mother is Thai-Chinese.
Prior to his idol training in Korea, Nichkhun was already quite famous in his hometown of Bangkok, Thailand. He (and his brother and sisters) had been modelling and participating in commercials long before he was scouted in Los Angeles by a JYP agent. And it's no wonder; with that angelic face and sweet voice, he's not called the "Thai Prince" without reason.
Still not convinced?
Watch this 8eight MV "The End is Coming" featuring Nichkhun.
Don't be fooled by those wide, wide eyes though; this pretty boy does have his sexy moments. He is, after all, a beastly member of 2PM!
Because of his Thai background, Nichkhun still continues individual activities in Thailand sometimes, and he has even officially been appointed Thailand's Goodwill Ambassador. 2PM has candidly stated a few times that they enjoy visiting Thailand as a group too, as they apparently receive the "royal treatment" thanks to Nichkhun.
Currently, Khunnie plays the husband of f(x)'s Victoria in "We Got Married", the reality show where celebrities are paired together in fake matrimony. With Victoria's natural aegyo and Nichkhun's many attempts at romantic events, Khuntoria is known as the gorgeous, sugar sweet couple that constantly frustrates the studio hosts of WGM for their teasing naivete.
You can find subbed WGM Khuntoria episodes on W2D's Dailymotion.
Jang Wooyoung 장우영 -- The cheerful moodmaker & Ssanti king
Date of Birth: 1989-04-30
Height: 178cm
Weight: 65kg
Education: Howon University, Broadcast Acting studies
Blood type: B
Hobbies: Listening to music, surfing the web
Talents: Dance ^^
Nickname: Booyoungee, AngAng, Mandoo, Woodong, Toshio
Ideal type: Someone who appeals to me right away
Favorite food: "I love all food in this world."
Religion: Buddhist
Random fact: Wooyoung had the shortest period as a trainee amongst the 2PM members.
First, to understand the concept of "Ssanti", you have to watch this, this and this.
Got it?
You sure?
Let's go!
"Ssanti" means "cheap" in Korean slang, and a ssanti dance refers to the kind of silly dancing that a comedian may pull off for entertainment. Although Wooyoung's dance idol is the one and only pop king, Michael Jackson, he got the idea of ssanti dance from YG Entertainment's very own unique performer, Psy. Of course, you've got to have the beat in your soul to manage ssanti, and Wooyoung proves he can feel it perfectly with the b-boy moves in his JYP audition. It's not much of a surprise, considering that he secretly went for dance practices in his high school years against his father's wishes - an indication of his love for dancing.
With his round face and cheeky smile, Wooyoung easily charms fans and even his own members with his natural comedic sense. He also makes the best "Oh mommy why is the world so cruel" sad face that coined him the term, "AngAng/JjingJjing Wooyoung".
Wooyoung's ability to speak well on camera is recognized in his position as MC for "Win Win" with SNSD's Taeyeon, and the music show "Inkigayo" with fellow 2PM member, Taecyeon. Moreover, he has debuted as an actor in the drama "Dream High", playing the role of a genius American exchange student who excels at the performing arts, especially in dancing. His character hooks up with IU's character, Pil-sook, and the couple have become so popular that fans have dubbed them the "Milky Couple", going so far as to keenly observe every interaction Wooyoung has with IU in real life.
Lee Junho 이준호 -- The charismatic dancer & adorable emperor
Date of Birth: 1990-01-25
Height: 178cm
Weight: 67kg
Education: Howon University, Broadcast Acting studies
Blood type: A
Hobbies: Listening to music, watching dance videos, studying composition, reading, fashion magazines
Talents: Beatbox, dancing, singing
Nickname: Emperor, Nuneo, Speed Bump (3 guesses why 8D)
Ideal type: Somebody good with a 2-year-old
Favorite food: "I like all~ food."
Religion: Christian
Random fact: Junho owns a cat called Gomengi (Little One), which is the same breed as Chansung's cat, Jeonggam.
Junho loses the maknae position to Chansung by a mere 17 days, but despite his age, he's one of the calmer members of the group. Although he often throws himself headlong into the pandemonium stirred up by his crazy 2PM brothers - complete with adorable aegyo and darling eye-smile - he can sometimes be found in the background instead, watching the others with a stoic expression. It's because of thiscomposed mannerism that the fans dubbed him the "Emperor".
Speaking of which, this multi-talented emperor has a number of tricks up his sleeve. Although he's officially one of the vocals in 2PM, he has mentioned in interviews that he does everything in the group and it's not far from the truth; he sings beautifully, raps decently, dances oh-so fabulously, and is acrobatic to boot. Morever, after showing his budding skill as a songwriter with the quiet release of an untitled song on Maybee Radio, he has successfully produced a song called "Give it to Me" for 2PM's Hands Up album, which is also used for a "블라인드" (Blind) MV.
Junho likes to claim that English is another one of his talents, but well. I-It's cute how he tries. What he absolutely can do - besides everything else already listed - and is renowned for, is his mesmerizing"butt-popping". Junho has a delicious rear end that's just asking for a squeeze, and every once in a while, his members would take the chance to slap that fine thang.
For a lengthy period, Junho was a regular on "Dream Team Season 2", and that was where he really shone. His competitive nature motivated him to train hard and excel in the games, as well as to never give up no matter what.
Find subbed episodes of Dream Team 2 here.
Hwang Chansung 황찬성 -- The overgrown maknae & eating machine
Date of Birth: 1990-02-11
Height: 184cm
Weight: 75kg
Education: Howon University
Blood type: B
Hobbies: Listening to music, games, working out
Talents: Taekwondo, Kumdo (Korean word for Kendo)
Nickname: Perry, Pwang-ga, General Hwang, (Old) maknae
Ideal type: A girl with kind eyes
Favorite food: "I don't discriminate between food."
Religion: Buddhist
Random fact: Chansung
Sexy dance. Violent aegyo. Cute kid. Eating machine. Manly beast.
There's so many ways to describe this boy I don't even know where to start.
Chansung is the giant baby of 2PM who can take in 40 servings of shabu shabu in one meal, has a contagious barking laughter of high-pitched snorts, and loves to lick (@ 2:03 & 3:15), bite (@ 2:27) and smother his brothers with love. A big goof ball, he sometimes doesn't appear to be the brightest crayon in the box. On the other hand, he not only looks much older than his actual age, but also has an on-stage persona of an incredibly gorgeous, smoldering man. Seriously, this boy could lure a rock into his bed; one look into his eyes is more than enough.
Chansung initially entered JYPE to work on his acting, but later decided that music lessons were far more interesting. However, until recently, Chansung didn't do much singing in 2PM; he shares the rap with Taecyeon. And, honestly, watching him attempt that high note challenge on "Wild Bunny" (@ 8:13, where he misses the next note not once, but twice) makes me wonder if he may actually have started out tone deaf. ^^; If he did, then this boy has come a long, long way, because he can now accurately identify notes without looking at the keys. You go, Chansung!
Music activities aside, he has done two acting roles: a student in the drama "Unstoppable High Kick", as well as a lady's drunken hallucination of a handsome young man in "Dream High".
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