Kim Ji Woong

• Kim Jiwoong was born on December 14, 1998. He is the oldest member of ZEROBASEONE and was already an experienced entertainer when he participated in Boys Planet in 2023.

• His full Korean name is Kim Jiwoong (김지웅). He has used several professional names throughout his career, including Jinam and King, before becoming widely recognized under his birth name.

• Jiwoong grew up in Wonju, Gangwon Province, South Korea. Published profiles disagree about his exact birthplace, with some identifying Pohang or another location, but Wonju is consistently associated with his upbringing.

• He has two brothers. He reportedly has an older brother born in 1997 and a younger brother born in 2008, making him the middle child of three sons.

• Jiwoong is the oldest member of ZEROBASEONE. Despite his age, he is not the group's leader; that position belongs to Sung Hanbin, who was born in 2001.

• He made his first K-pop debut in 2016. Jiwoong debuted with the five-member boy group INX on August 2, 2016, years before ZEROBASEONE was formed.

• His original stage name was Jinam (지남). He used this name while promoting with INX, whose debut single was titled "Alright."

• INX disbanded after a relatively short career. The group debuted in 2016 but ceased activities in late 2017, leaving Jiwoong searching for another opportunity in the music industry.

• Jiwoong and his INX bandmates won a lawsuit against their former agency. The members sought to terminate their contracts after alleging serious mistreatment and inadequate financial support, and a court ruled in their favor in 2018.

• The INX legal dispute involved allegations of unpaid promotional work and poor living conditions. The case received media coverage because the members described having to pay for expenses that would ordinarily be supported by their management company.

• Jiwoong joined ATEEN after INX disbanded. He performed under the stage name King and participated in the group's activities in Japan beginning in 2018.

• ATEEN released music in Japan but never established a lasting Korean career. The group's planned expansion was interrupted by serious problems involving its management, and it eventually disbanded.

• He later became part of the pre-debut group B.I.T. The project, whose name stood for Brilliant Icon Team, included several former ATEEN members and promoted in Japan before ending in 2020.

• Jiwoong pursued modeling opportunities between his idol activities. His experience included fashion-related work in Asian markets, giving him another way to remain active in entertainment.

• He participated in the survival program Burn Up: Challenge to Billboard in 2020. The competition provided another opportunity to showcase his singing and performance abilities after several unsuccessful group projects.

• Jiwoong finished first in the male category of Burn Up. His victory demonstrated that he continued attracting attention as a performer even after the setbacks of his earlier idol career.

• He released "Sick of Love" with Kim Minjeong in 2021. The collaboration followed their success on Burn Up and became part of his pre-ZEROBASEONE solo discography.

• Jiwoong made his acting debut in the web drama The Sweet Blood in 2021. He portrayed Yoon Chiwoo in the supernatural romance series, which was adapted from a webtoon.

• He starred in the 2022 BL drama Kissable Lips. Jiwoong played Kim Junho, a vampire whose relationship with a human student becomes central to the story.

• Actor Yoon Seobin played his romantic counterpart in Kissable Lips. Their on-screen chemistry attracted attention among international BL drama viewers and helped expand Jiwoong's fanbase.

• Jiwoong reunited with Yoon Seobin in Roommates of Poongduck 304. Released in 2022, the workplace romantic comedy gave the pair another opportunity to star together.

• He played Ji Hojun in Roommates of Poongduck 304. His character is a wealthy young man who unexpectedly finds himself sharing an apartment with someone connected to his professional life.

• The two BL dramas helped establish Jiwoong as an actor before his ZEROBASEONE debut. Many international fans first discovered him through his acting roles rather than through Boys Planet.

• He and Yoon Seobin recorded music associated with Roommates of Poongduck 304. Their song "Dream of You" allowed Jiwoong to combine his acting career with his experience as a singer.

• Jiwoong appeared in the JTBC drama The Good Bad Mother in 2023. The series starred Ra Mi-ran and Lee Do-hyun and introduced him to viewers outside the BL drama audience.

• He appeared in HOLLAND's "Number Boy" music video in 2023. The project was released shortly before the conclusion of Boys Planet and added another notable acting appearance to his career.

• Jiwoong was introduced as a contestant on Boys Planet in December 2022. By the time the competition began airing in February 2023, he had already accumulated several years of professional entertainment experience.

• He competed on Boys Planet as an individual trainee associated with Nest Management. Unlike contestants representing major idol-training companies, Jiwoong entered with experience from previous debuts and acting projects.

• His initial Boys Planet performance included TVXQ's "Mirotic." The song allowed him to demonstrate a mature, confident performance style that matched his established image.

• He performed Stray Kids' "Back Door" during the group battle mission. Jiwoong served as the leader of the Korean team, helping organize the performance and guide his teammates.

• The "Back Door" performance became one of his memorable Boys Planet stages. His stage presence, choreography and leadership attracted attention from viewers following the competition.

• Jiwoong performed MONSTA X's "Love Killa" during the dual-position battle. The concept suited his mature image and became one of his most recognizable survival-show performances.

• He participated in the "Say My Name" team during the artist battle mission. The song required a brighter and more playful concept, showing a different side of his personality.

• He performed "Hot Summer" during the Boys Planet finale. The stage was one of the final opportunities for contestants to demonstrate their abilities before the debut lineup was announced.

• Jiwoong finished eighth in the Boys Planet finale on April 20, 2023. He received 1,338,984 points in the final ranking and secured a place in ZEROBASEONE.

• His success on Boys Planet marked another major chapter in his idol career. After previous group debuts, agency disputes and acting work, he finally joined a project with substantial international visibility.

• Jiwoong officially debuted with ZEROBASEONE on July 10, 2023. The group's debut mini album, Youth in the Shade, featured the title track "In Bloom."

• He was 24 years old when ZEROBASEONE debuted. His age and extensive experience distinguished him from several members who were debuting as teenagers or in their early twenties.

• Jiwoong is affectionately treated as the group's eldest member. He often balances a calm, mature appearance with humorous behavior and playful interactions with his younger bandmates.

• His reported MBTI type is ENFJ. The result appears in profiles released around Boys Planet, although MBTI classifications can change over time.

• Meditation is one of his hobbies. He listed meditation among his interests during Boys Planet, reflecting a preference for quiet activities outside his performance schedule.

• He also enjoys conversations with other people. Chatting was another hobby included in his Boys Planet profile, suggesting that social interaction is an important part of how he spends his free time.

• Jiwoong has described his unusual specialty as tolerating hot things. The answer appeared in his Boys Planet profile and became one of the more memorable details about him.

• He has expressed interest in science, space and extraterrestrial life. In fan-circulated interviews and profiles, he has mentioned scientific subjects as interests he might explore outside entertainment.

• SHINee's Taemin is among his reported role models. Jiwoong has admired Taemin's performance skills and artistic expression, particularly as a dancer and solo performer.<br