Yoo Seung-jun

Yoo made his South Korean debut as a singer in 1997. His first album West Side was a hit with the debut single "Gawi" ("gawi" or "가위" is the Korean word for "scissors" - in this context it translates to "nightmare" as South Koreans use the word to describe the rigid sleep paralysis which sometimes accompanies bad dreams). Along with another single "I Love You, Noona," he won "Best Newcomer of the Year" at many award ceremonies. Yoo gained popularity with his signature dance move "Gawi," in which he and his backup dancers lined up diagonally to perform the same moves in unison. "West Side" sold a million copies.

In the summer of 1998, he released his second album 1998 V2 for SALE with "Na Na Na" ("나나나") as its lead song, where it and the music video topped the charts. In the video, it featured actress Choi Ji-woo, who played as the internship teacher while he played as the troublesome student. Many consider this album as the most successful of his career, as it won him Best Artist of the Year in multiple award ceremonies. The album again sold 1 million records.

In 1999, he went on to release his third album Now Or Never, which contained the hit single "Passion". Later that year, Yoo released his fourth album, "Over and Over," which contained the hit single "Vision."

During this time, he began to expand his career into China and Taiwan, with the release of the single "Can't Wait", which was a collaboration with Taiwanese singer Yuki. Now or Never topped the South Korean charts with first week sales of 879,000 albums sold. Setting a record for the highest first week sales ever at the time. The album eventually sold close to 1.5 million units. He also released music videos for two of his Korean songs that year for "찾길 바래" (English: "Wish you could find") & "어제 오늘 그리고" (English: "Yesterday, Today & Tomorrow"), the latter showing off a more sophisticated image.

In 2001, he released the single "Wow" from his sixth album "Infinity." Though considered a disappointment critically and commercially compared to his last three albums, "Infinity" still debuted at No. 1 on the charts with first-week sales of 359,961 units. The album went to achieve sales of over 600,000.

Yoo had repeatedly stated on television that he would fulfill his mandatory military service. But in 2002, just before he was to be drafted, he became a naturalized U.S. citizen. As a result, the South Korean government considered it an act of desertion, and deported him, permanently banning him from entering the country.[6]

In 2003, his father-in-law, who resided in South Korea, died. South Korea's Ministry of Justice allowed Yoo temporary entry into South Korea for two days.[8] In 2006, he was featured on rapper H-Eugene's song "독불장군" (English: "Single Person"). The song's music video does not show Yoo's face, but shows him dancing and his silhouette.

In 2007, he released his seventh album Yoo Seungjun Vol. 7 - Rebirth of YSJ for his fans who stood by him through the highs and lows of his career. The album was produced under the collaboration of production teams from the United States, China, and South Korea.[9] He released singles such as "Missing U," "Breakin' Love," "One For Me" and "Fireworks."

He earned a role in an untitled Taiwanese drama loosely based on Bret Easton Ellis's novel Less than Zero. In June 2008, Yoo signed a 15-year contract with Jackie Chan's entertainment management company to become an actor. He has since attempted to establish a name for himself in mainland China while continuing his singing and acting career.[10]

In February 2010, Yoo made his film debut in Jackie Chan's Little Big Soldier as Prince Wen.[11] Also that year, he released music videos in Korean and Chinese for his unofficial single "My World".

In 2015, it was announced that Yoo would appear in the film Dragon Blade.

In 2019, he released two singles in Korean, "Another Day" and "People Don’t Know" with music videos for both songs.

In 2022, Yoo was enrolled as a student in Westminster Seminary California.

• 98 Live Album (1998)
• New Release + English Version (1999)
• All That Yoo Seung Jun (1999)
• Gold Techno Remix (2000)
• Hidden Story (2001)
• Best & J Duet Collection (2001)
• Yoo Seung Jun 2002 Live (2002)

• Little Big Soldier (2010)
• He-Man (2011)
• Scheme With Me (2012)
• Chinese Zodiac (2012)
• Man of Tai Chi (2013)
• The Wrath of Vajra (2013)
• Long's Story (2014)
• The Break-Up Artist (2014)
• Dragon Blade (2015)
• Taste of Love (2015)
• Crazy Fist (2017)
• Romantic Warrior (2017)
• Invictus Basketball (2017)
• Blade Master Li Bai (2019)

• The Sleuth of the Ming Dynasty (2020)
• The Patriot Yue Fei (2013)