Kim Hong-joong (Korean: 김홍중; born November 7, 1998), mononymously known as Hongjoong, is a South Korean rapper, singer, producer, and songwriter.[1] He debuted as the leader of the South Korean boy bandAteez in 2018. As of January 2025, he has 152 songs credited under his name on the KOMCA.[2]
Hongjoong sent a letter and a mixtape to his label, KQ Entertainment, expressing interest in becoming an in-house composer. He initially became the first trainee of the company because of his admiration for Block B, a group managed under the same label.[4]
In 2017, Hongjoong was one of the trainees who passed the audition for the JTBC survival reality show Mix Nine. He placed number seven on the "Just Dance" showcase but was eliminated in the tenth episode, with a final ranking of 42.[5]
He was introduced as a member of the pre-debut group "KQ Fellaz" along with seven others, all of whom are now part of the boy group Ateez. During the pre-debut reality show KQ Fellaz American Training, the group released a song composed and produced by Hongjoong titled "From".[6]
On October 24, 2018, Hongjoong officially debuted as the leader of KQ Entertainment's first boy group, "Ateez" with the debut EP Treasure EP.1: All to Zero.[7]
Hongjoong and fellow Ateez member Yunho were selected as the new DJs for MBC's Idol Radio Season 3, which aired from September 8, 2022, to December 27, 2023.[17]
On November 8, 2023, he released the song "A Walker".[18][19]
On March 11, 2024, singer Chungha released her digital single "Eenie Meenie" featuring Hongjoong, who participated in writing and composing the song.[20]
On August 23, 2024, Hongjoong released the song "Why Do You Love"[21] along with a music video.[22]
On January 15, 2025, Odetari released his digital single "SMB" featuring Hongjoong, who participated in writing the song. It became Hongjoong's 1st international collab and 2nd in total.[23]
Other ventures
Fashion
Hongjoong reformed clothes, experimented with various fashion styles throughout his career, often incorporating elements that challenge traditional gender norms.[24][25] He has stated that on stage, he fuses music with fashion, creating a character for each performance that embodies both elegance and power. He has mentioned wanting to study fashion and start his own fashion line.[26][27]
On March 4, 2023, Hongjoong made his fashion debut at Balmain Homme 2023 Fall/Winter presentation at Paris Fashion Week.[28]
On September 5, 2023, Hongjoong was named as a Balmain ambassador.[29] On September 27, 2023, Hongjoong made his debut appearance as a member of the "Balmain army" by attending Balmain spring-summer 2024 women’s collection show and the presentation of the Men's collection on September 29.[30]
On June 21, 2024, Hongjoong attended the Comme des Garçons Homme Plus show in Paris.[31] On September 25, 2024, Hongjoong attended the Balmain Spring-Summer 2025 show and on September 28, 2024, he attended the Vivienne Westwood Paris Womenswear Spring-Summer 2025 show.[32][33]
On January 22, 2025, Hongjoong attended the Paul Smith fall 2025 menswear show and on January 26, 2025, he attended the Jacquemus fall 2025 show in Paris. [34][35]
Philanthropy
Since his debut, Hongjoong has actively contributed to the "Polished Man" campaign by consistently painting his pinky fingernail. This led to fans creating fundraising pages on the Polished Man's website, resulting in the collection of hundreds of dollars in 2019 and early 2020. Later in 2020, the group Ateez were announced as the ambassadors for the campaign. As of July 2021, the funds amassed through this collaboration with Polished Man have surpassed $30,000.[36][37]
In November 2022, Hongjoong donated ₩10 million (US$7,658.95) to World Vision Korea under the name "Atiny", the group's fan base. According to the NGO, the contribution is designated to provide support for the Dreaming Children project.[38]
In November 2023, it was reported that he donated ₩50 million (US$38,294.74) to the Korea Childhood Leukemia Foundation. This donation aims to support children diagnosed with cancer and other incurable diseases. The sum was raised from the proceeds of "Walker A"[a] ticket sales and his added monetary contribution to the cause.[39]
In May 2024, Hongjoong donated ₩50 million (US$38,294.74) to the NGO 'World Vision' in honor of the Children's Day celebrated in Korea. This contribution aims to support youth who take care of family members with illnesses or disabilities. In March 2024, he donated another ₩50 million (US$38,294.74) to the World Vision Global Drinking Water Project, intended to provide communities worldwide with access to clean water, sanitation and more. On May 20, he was appointed to the 'Bob Pierce Honor Club', an accolade designated for major donors who have contributed over ₩100 million to the NGO and have displayed empathy towards various global issues.[40][41][42]
In November 2024, Hongjoong and official fan club ATINY, who participated in the '2024 Global 6K for Water Running' (G6K Running) campaign donated ₩60 million (US$45,953.68) to the NGO 'World Vision'. About 3,400 fans from Korea and abroad participated in the 'virtual running' (running at a time and place of their choice) held from the 1st to the 7th of this month to celebrate Hongjoong's birthday. The event was planned with the aim of empathizing with the difficulties of African children and raising awareness of the severity of water and sanitation issues by walking or running 6km, the average distance that African children walk every day to get water.[43]
^ abKim, Na-ri (July 3, 2021). ATEEZ 홍중 [Ateez Hongjoong]. Hanryu Times (한류타임스) (in Korean). Archived from the original on August 13, 2024. Retrieved August 13, 2024.
^Park, Seo-yeon (February 22, 2021). '정희' 최강창민, 데뷔 18년만 성공적 첫 DJ..에이티즈, 동방신기♥→새앨범 스포[종합] ['Junghee' Choi Kang Changmin, successful first DJ in 18 years since debut.. ATEEZ, TVXQ♥→New album spoiler [Comprehensive]]. Herald Pop (in Korean). Archived from the original on July 16, 2021. Retrieved June 27, 2024.
^ ab2차 평가 순위 [Boy 2nd Evaluation Ranking]. JTBC (in Korean). Archived from the original on December 5, 2022. Retrieved June 27, 2024.
^"에이티즈 홍중, 김종국 '회상' 무대 피처링.."선배님과 함께 무대해 영광"" [ATEEZ Hongjoong, Kim Jong Kook's 'Reminiscence' Stage Featuring. "It's an Honor to Perform with My Senior"]. Herald Pop (in Korean). October 9, 2021. Archived from the original on June 29, 2024. Retrieved June 28, 2024.
^"에이티즈 홍중, '레몬 트리' 커버 공개..한 편의 모노드라마 완성" [ATEEZ Hongjoong reveals cover of 'Lemon Tree'... A monodrama complete]. Osen (in Korean). May 5, 2022. Archived from the original on June 29, 2024. Retrieved June 28, 2024.
^ ab"에이티즈 홍중, 생일 맞아 자작곡 '어 워커' 공개" [ATEEZ Hongjoong releases self-composed song 'A Walker' to celebrate his birthday]. Newsis (in Korean). November 8, 2023. Archived from the original on June 27, 2024. Retrieved June 27, 2024.
^Hyun, Jong-min (March 2, 2024). "청하, 에이티즈 홍중과 협업...'EENIE MEENIE' 더 기대되는 이유" [Chungha collaborates with ATEEZ Hongjoong... Reasons to be more excited about 'EENIE MEENIE']. Sports World (in Korean). Archived from the original on April 21, 2024. Retrieved June 27, 2024.
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