Kim Dong Wan's bio

Name : Kim Dongwan 김동완
Date of birth : November 21st, 1979
Education : Dogok Elementary School, Hwimoon High School, Woosoong Information College, Sangmyeong University, Acting Kookmin University
Physique : 171cm, 68kg
Nickname : Saojong
Blood type : O
Family: Kim Youngjin [Father], Park Gwemi [Mother], Kim Inwan [Younger Brother]
Religion : Christianity
Hobbies : Photography, snowboarding, inline skating, movies
Talent : Playing piano and guitar
Motto : As a man, if you can’t endure, DIE!!!
Favorite food : Korean food, steak, sushi, sashimi
Favorite colors : Green, Blue
Favorite musicians : Kurt Cobain (Nirvana), Yoo Youngjin
http://www.goodenter.com/shinhwa/

Kim Dongwan’s parents had divorced and he had grown up without his father. Often been made fun of his family background by his school mates when he was young, Kim Dongwan remained strong, stood up against the negative comments and eventually became the support to his mother. Despite his less fortunate family background, Kim Dongwan had never given up on his dream. Kim Dongwan first appeared as an actor before he became part of Shinhwa.He had always been passionate about acting and was not interested in becoming a singer. He was talented scout on the streets by a SM Entertainment manager to join the company. He told SM Entertainment that he was more interested in acting than in singer but this decision changed after he met the rest of the Shinhwa members officially.

Kim Dongwan made his debut in 1998 as a vocalist in the boy band Shinhwa. Although he isn’t lead vocalist, he began singing bigger parts on Shinhwa’s 7th album, “Brand New”. One song from the album, “Liar”, actually only has Dongwan as the vocalist, along with Eric Mun as the rapper. He also wrote, composed, and arranged a song on the album, titled “Set Free”. Though he had branched out as a solo artist, he is part of Shinhwa and just released Shinhwa’s 9th album.
Dongwan released his debut solo album, ¡°Kimdongwan Is¡±, on July 5, 2007, which featured collaborations with his fellow Shinhwa members, including Andy rapping in the song “Loving Summer,” Shin Hyesung singing a duet with Dongwan in “The One Left Alone,” and Eric rapping in “My Love.” The other members have contributed to the album as well, with Lee Minwoo writing, composing and arranging the song “My Love,” and with Junjin helping him with choreography. Dongwan expressed gratitude for their contributions, saying, “I¡¯ve been working together with the group Shinhwa, thus there was a lot of pressure working on the solo album, but since the other members showed up and helped me with most of it, it has been a great big help for me.¡± Dongwan¡¯s first single was the ballad, “Handkerchief”, a song about a guy who consoles his girlfriend and wipes away her tears. Despite Shinhwa’s genre in music like American R&B and bubblegum pop, Dongwan said he wanted his album to be more Jpop influenced, having redone a song by Glay and Exile in the album.

For the debut album, Dongwan also lost a lot of weight, saying that “it’s not good for a ballad singer to have a muscular image. Someone singing ballads should have a lean, ‘hungry-looking’ image.¡± His album sold over 25,000 copies in two days with 41,490 copies sold by the end of 2007 allowing it to rank 19th for the year. In 2008, he released his 2nd solo album, The Secret; Between Us. The album featured collaborations with Tiffany of SNSD, Jade Valerie, Shinhwa bandmate, Eric and Heritage.

Dongwan officially began his military service on November 17, 2008. close