Kim Jun-hyun (comedian)

Kim Jun-hyun (born 16 November 1980) is a South Korean comedian. He joined KBS as a comedian for the 22nd open recruitment in 2007 and appeared in KBS's, Gag Concert, The Star Who Will Be Big, and Roller Coaster 2. He is currently hosting Immortal Songs: Singing the Legend, and he won the grand prize at the 2023 KBS Entertainment Awards.

He signed an exclusive contract with SM C&C in 2024.

Early life and education
Kim Jun-hyun was born in Chuncheon on 16 November 1980, and spent his childhood in Gwangmyeong, Gyeonggi-do.

After graduating from Gwangmyeong High School in 2001, Kim enrolled in Department of Philosophy, Hankuk University of Foreign Studies, Yongin Campus. While serving in the military, he initially aspired to be an announcer or producer. He was greatly influenced by his father, who served as director of KBS (formerly KBS announcer).

After being discharged, he prepared for a media examination but realized it wasn't the right time for him. However, he unexpectedly became the emcee of a dormitory song festival and enjoyed the experience. This led him to pursue a career in comedy.

Career
In 2005, after graduating from college, Kim Jun-hyun applied to the Daehakro Small Theater as an aspiring actor. He failed the comedian recruitment test with the Daehakro Theater Company in 2005 and faced rejection again the following year.

In 2006, Kim Jun-hyun and Kim Young-jo took part in the KBS2 Gag Hunt audition held in the KBS Comedy Room in Yeouido, Seoul. They performed a skit dressed as military personnel, portraying the struggles of pork bossams who were envious of the popularity of chicken delivery. Their act included lines like "General, the Tang Dynasty chicken unit is attacking" and "I'm rushing in with half-seasoned and half-fried food." Despite putting forth their best effort after two weeks of training, the judges responded with indifference. They were informed that the successful candidates would be notified individually.

However, this crisis opened the door for him to perform in the rookie corner of a program that featured established comedians. Initially, it was challenging for him to handle the responsibilities on his own without proper training. During a period of low motivation, he stayed up all night writing a storyboard but received discouraging feedback. As difficulties persisted, his desire to become a comedian started to waver. However, an accident involving another aspiring comedian made him reconsider, and he decided to approach the production team of the program. The production team consisted of PD Seo Soo-min and writer Choi Dae-woong, who were well-known in the entertainment industry. Despite discouragement from those around him, he overcame his doubts and sought help from the production team. Their insight and belief in his potential saved him from giving up on his dream. Kim Jun-hyun made his debut in 2006 in KBS's in corner 'Mr Aristocrat', holding a wine glass alone and shouting "Cheers~".

He eventually passed KBS' 22nd public recruitment in 2007. A KBS official who participated in the judging said, "The competition was fierce enough to increase the number of applicants by about 100 compared to previous year. Successful applicants will meet their viewers through the KBS 2TV signboard gag program 'Gag Concert' after completing their training within a month. He didn't become a star overnight. Kim Jun-hyun, who was a trainee with 6 classmates receiving an annual salary of 1.5 million won at the beginning of his debut. In Gag Concert, he started with a small role and officially debut in 2007. He gained popularity in a segment called 'Emergency Response Committee' with his catchphrase "Whale~?" and won the hearts of the audience.

In 2008, Kim Jun-hyun joined the rock band Overaction as a guitarist. The band was established by vocalist, as part of a show on Mnet's 'Moon Heejun's Music Rebellion', directed by Jo Eun-seok. The lineup also included Kim Young-min on bass, Oh Kyung-soo on drums and Jacob on keyboards. They debuted with the song 'Run! Run! Run!' and later released the 'Queen Biho Project Album' featuring the title track 'Run Run Run', along with the autobiographical song 'Let's Earn Like a Dog', reflecting Yoon's experience of obscurity.

Overaction performed on the 2010 Incheon Pentaport Rock Festival on July 23, 2010. Overaction, a five-member project band featuring 'Queen of the Beast' Yoon Hyeong-bin, comedian Kim Jun-hyun, and Burette guitarist Lee Kyo-won, will perform songs from the mini album, new songs to be released in the future, 'Android', and covered Michael Jackson's 'Billie Jean'.

Overaction performed on the live broadcast of 'Music Bank' at the public hall of KBS' new building in Yeouido, Seoul, on September 23rd, 2011. With the main vocalist,, Kim Jun-hyun and Kim Young-min were in charge of guitar and bass, respectively. Guitarist Lee Kyo-won, famous as the composer of 'Heo Gyeong-young Song', and Oh Kyeong-su, who was active as a drum sessionist in many concerts and broadcasts, completed the lineup. On that day, Overaction planned to perform live the new song 'Taewon', which was written and composed by Yoon Hyeong-bin.

In 2012, he joined the segment "Four Things" in Gag Concert. After its first broadcast on January 15, "Four Things," which represented men who lived misunderstood, quickly emerged as a top segment. The highlight of "Four Things" was definitely Kim Jun-hyun. While other actors changed their settings, left the show, or were reintroduced, Kim Jun-hyun was always the "fat man." Because it was a fateful handicap rather than an arbitrary setting, his story was more realistic. The funniest part of the show was Kim Jun-hyun's catchphrase, which was the highlight of "Four Things," "Of course, I thought about it for a moment, but… I was."

Kim became a famous comedian in Korea by creating catchphrases and actions that even six-year-old children know, like saying "I have a good heart" and making a finger gesture to ask for a drink.

Kim Jun-hyun gained enormous popularity with 'Delicious Guys', but suddenly left the show in 2021.

Personal life
His religion is Catholicism.

The person Kim Jun-hyun respects most is his father, Kim Sang-geun, a former KBS announcer.

Kim Jun-hyun, revealed that he was in relationship in his appearance on KBS 2TV's 'Starting Dream Team Season 2' broadcast on September 11, 2011. Kim Jun-hyun married his girlfriend Oh Jung-joo, who was four years younger than him, on April 20, 2013, after dating for six years since 2007. The wedding ceremony took place in Seoul and was attended by fellow comedians. They had their first daughter, Kim Tae-eun, in December 2016, three years after their marriage. Their second daughter was born in July 6, 2018.