Jung Pil-kyo (Korean: 정필교; born November 27, 1979) is a South Korean singer-songwriter. He is best known as a member of the South Korean boy groupShinhwa. The main vocalist of Shinhwa, he debuted as a solo artist in 2005 and has since released multiple albums in both Korean and Japanese.
Shin auditioned in America through Brothers Entertainment and joined Shinhwa after bandmates Andy and Eric. He officially debuted as part of Shinhwa on March 24, 1998, with a performance of their first single『해결사』(The Solver) on KM Music Tank. Since then, he has released thirteen Korean and one Japanese studio albums with Shinhwa.
Shin debuted as a solo artist in 2005 with the release of his solo album entitled Love of May (오월지련, 五月之戀) in 2005. This album ranked number one on the HMV pre-order sales chart in Japan in February 2005, with 180,000 copies sold. Shin released his second album, entitled The Beginning, New Days on August 8, 2007. His song, "First Person", was No. 1 on the K-pop Top 10 chart. His album sold 30,000 copies on its first day of release and 50,000 copies in a week.
He has since released five Korean and two Japanese studio albums.
In June 2011, after releasing his fifth Korean studio album, The Road Not Taken, Shin wrapped up a series of performances in Seoul, Busan, and Shanghai. He also hosted a special two-day, 2011 Tour in Seoul – The Road Not Taken Act II, at Kyung Hee University on September 3 and 4.[1] Then in July, he recorded a duet "I Believe," with Shunsuke Kiyokiba former member of Exile.[2]
In March 2012, Shin reunited with his Shinhwa bandmates for their comeback after four years, under the management of 'Shinhwa Company'. It is a joint venture agency for members to perform as a group, of which Eric and Lee Min-woo are co-CEOs and the remaining members are shareholders. The Company manages the group as a whole, whilst members' individual activities are managed by their respective agencies.[3] The group released their tenth studio album The Return on March 23, 2012,[4][5] launched their comeback concerts 2012 Shinhwa Grand Tour: The Return throughout Asia[6][7] and their first exclusive variety program Shinhwa Broadcast premiered on March 17, 2012, on cable channel JTBC.[8]
On March 25, during the encore performance of the 2012 Shinhwa Grand Tour in Seoul: The Return, Shin injured his knee. At the start of the performance of "Yo!", he was shot up on stage but did not land safely. He ruptured his cruciate ligament and severely damaged the cartilage and ligament surrounding the meniscus, requiring surgery and six weeks of rest. Shin had previously ruptured his cruciate ligament again, an injury previously sustained during a concert in 2001, and had corrective surgery on his left knee but the cruciate ligament in his right knee continued to suffer damage, for which he was exempt from mandatory military service. However, he has put off surgery, but has continued treatment through the end of promotional activities for Shinhwa's tenth studio album, The Return.[9] He performed by singing in a chair for their first music show comeback on March 29 on M Countdown, where they performed "Venus" and "Hurt".[10]
In September Shin along with bandmate Lee Min-woo performed at the West Bank Music Festival in Shanghai from September 30 to October 2, as K-Pop representatives along with other international artists such as Michael Bolton in front of an audience of 100,000 people.[11][12]
From June 3, 2019 to February 21, 2021, Shin Hyesung hosted the SBS Radio show, Shin Hyesung's music odyssey. He took a hiatus due to worsened throat conditions.[13][14][15]
In January 2022, fellow bandmember Andy Lee (South Korean singer) was married. Shin Hyesung, despite speculation that he did not attend, was later revealed to have had even worsened health. His band member shared, on the television show SBS 'Same Bed, Different Dreams 2' "Among our members, Hyesung hyung isn't very healthy. He hurt his legs and his vocal cords aren't in prime condition. But despite him feeling under the weather, he came to my wedding. I was touched."[16]
On October 11, 2022, Shin Hyesung was found sleeping inside a parked vehicle in the middle of a road. Police arrived and he was brought in for questioning. The car in which he was sleeping was previously reported stolen.[17][18] In December, KBS suspended Shin Hyesung along with several other celebrities.[19] Shin Hyesung was initially sentenced to 1 year of probation for possession of a stolen vehicle and refusing a breathalyzer test.[20] In 2023, prosecution appealed the "lenient" sentence and sought a 2 year prison sentence instead.[21] However, in April, 2024, the court upheld the initial 1 year of probation.[22] On May 10, 2024, his sentence was finalized as neither he nor the prosecution submitted an additional appeal.[23]
^Sunwoo, Carla (September 28, 2012). "Shinhwa boys get Shanghai invite". Joongang Daily. Archived from the original on January 26, 2013. Retrieved September 29, 2012.{{cite news}}: CS1 maint: unfit URL (link)
