Winner’s Prince Charming Kim Jin-woo
Who is not familiar with this prince charming, Kim Jin-woo? Kim Jin-woo or, more familiarly, Jinu, is a South Korean actor and singer, and a member of YG Entertainment’s boy-group WINNER. Despite having the swag and cool aura of the typical YG idols, Jinu is a sweet, cute, and a pretty boy. Jinu’s unique appearance has been known since his participation in the YG survival show WIN: Who Is Next? which led him to his debut in WINNER along with the other four members of the group. He’s not just a pretty face, he’s got a lot more going on, too. Curious enough? Let’s find out !
Jinwoo’s Profile and Facts
Birth Name / Hangul : Kim Jin Woo /김진우Stage Name: Jinu, Jinwoo
Date of Birth: September 26, 1991
Place of Birth: Imjado, Sinan County, South Jeolla, South Korea
Zodiac Sign: Libra
Blood Type: A
Height: 177 cm (5’10”)
Weight: 54 kg (119 lbs)
Family: two sisters, Heera and Jinhi
Education: Joy Dance Academy
Occupation: Singer (member of WINNER), actor
Position: Lead Vocalist and Visual in WINNER
Instrument: Vocals
Agency: YG Entertainment
Years Active: 2014 – present
Twitter: @official_jinu_
Instagram: @xxjjjwww
Fun Facts
- When he joined the Joy Dance Academy run by BIGBANG Seungri, Seungri himself took him to join YG Entertainment, because Seungri was amazed with his dancing skills.
- Jinu was a trainee for five years, starting when he was 18 years old.
- At the YG Family Concert in 2011, Jinu was a backup dancer along with former WINNER member Taehyun.
- Jinu was debuted under the YG survival program WIN : Who Is Next?, in 2013.
- Jinu’s hobbies are swimming and playing games
- Jinu is the peacemaker of the group (Youth Over Flowers).
- Jinu is allergic to cat fur, however, he has two Sphinx cats (hairless breed), Bay and Ray.
- Jinu lives in the same dorm as Mino because they both have cats. (Dorms for WINNER are divided into cat owners and dog owners).
- Jinu usually takes a longer time to memorize lyrics for new songs.
- Jinu has a warm and tender personality, according to WINNER’s Yoon.
- Jinu used to hate his father’s job, which is being a fisherman, but now he’s proud of him and said his father is a great man and must not be crying because of him anymore.
- Jinu was recruited by Sandara Park as the ‘cutie line’ of YG Entertainment after watching him on WINNER TV, because she thought that there are too many swag people like CL and G-Dragon. Reportedly, the other members of the ‘cutie line’ are BLACKPINK’s Jisoo, IKON’s Jinhwan, and IKON’s Yunhyeong.
- Jinu has been called the ‘Face Genius’ of YG Entertainment because of his visual. In a talk show, one of the panelists said that he had the SM Entertainment aura, which is ‘beauty’. One plastic surgeon said that Jinu’s face has the ‘Golden Ratio’, because he has the facial proportions that are considered ideal.
- Jinu is the ‘fake maknae’ !! Not only his boyish face, but his innocence also makes people think that he’s WINNER’s maknae, despite the fact that he’s the oldest member of the group.
- Jinu has also been called the ‘International Lost Boy’, he often gets lost in unfamiliar places. In one episode of WINNER TV he couldn’t find Tokyo Tower, which was only ten minutes from his hotel. Yoon, the leader and the group’s maknae, told him “Don’t get hurt, don’t get lost, don’t follow the strangers, don’t eat strange food, don’t take candies from strangers, understand?”
Jinwoo’s Discography
Albums
| Released | Title | Label | Formats | Singer | Notes |
| August 12, 2014 | 2014 S/S | YG Entertainment, YGEX | CD, Digital Downloads | WINNER | Korean |
| April 4, 2018 | EVERYD4Y | YG Entertainment, YGEX | |||
| February 7, 2018 | Our Twenty Four | YGEX | Japanese | ||
| August 1, 2016 | 2016 Winner Exit Tour In Seoul Live CD | YG Entertainment | Live album |
Music Videos
| Title | Year | Director |
|---|---|---|
| “Empty” | 2014 | Seo Hyun-seung |
| “Color Ring” | Dee Shin | |
| “Sentimental” | 2016 | Digipedi |
| “Baby Baby” | Fantazy Lab | |
| “Really Really” | 2017 | Dave Meyers |
| “Fool” | Jinooya | |
| “Love Me Love Me” | Oui Kim | |
| “Island” | Jinooya | |
| “Everyday” | 2018 | Dave Meyers |
Jinwoo’s Filmography
TV and Online Shows
| Year | Network | Title | Role | Notes |
| 2016 | Sohu TV | Magic Cellphone | Oh Tae-ji | Lead role |
| Naver TV | Love for a Thousand More | Hyung-sik | Supporting role | |
| 2013-2014 | Youtube | WINNER TV | Himself | Reality show of WINNER’s everyday life |
Variety Shows
| Year | Title | Network | Notes |
| 2018 | Live a Nice Life | JTBC | Regular Cast |
| 2017 | Wizard of Nowhere | MBC | Cast Member (episodes 5-29) |
| 2013 | WIN : Who Is Next ? | Mnet | Contestant (Team A) |
Stage Productions
| Year | Production | Company | Role |
| 2016 | The Little Prince (어린 왕자) | Korea National Contemporary Dance Company | The Little Prince |
Jinwoo’s Awards and Nominations
Asia Artist Awards
| Year | Category | Recipient | Result |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2016 | Most Popular Artists (Singer) – Top 50 | Winner | 4th |
| 2017 | Popularity Award (Singer) | Nominated | |
| 2018 | Popularity Award (Singer) | Nominated |
Gaon Chart Music Awards
| Year | Category | Recipient | Result |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2015 | New Artist of the Year (Male Group) | Winner | Won |
| Song of the Year (August) | “Empty” | Nominated | |
| Song of the Year (September) | Nominated | ||
| 2017 | Song of the Year (February) | “Baby Baby” | Nominated |
| “Sentimental” | Nominated | ||
| 2018 | Song of the Year (April) | “Really Really” | Nominated |
| Song of the Year (August) | “Love Me Love Me” | Nominated |
Golden Disc Awards
| Year | Category | Recipient | Result |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2015 | Disc Bonsang | 2014 S/S | Nominated |
| Digital Bonsang | “Empty” | Nominated | |
| Best New Artist of the Year (Male Group) | Winner | Won | |
| Popularity Award | Nominated | ||
| 2018 | Digital Daesang | “Really Really” | Nominated |
| Digital Bonsang | Won | ||
| Global Popularity Award | Winner | Nominated |
MBC Plus X Genie Music Awards
| Year | Category | Recipient | Result |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2018 | Song of the Year | “Everday” | Nominated |
| Rap/Hip Hop Music Award | Nominated | ||
| Genie Music Popularity Award | Winner | Nominated |
Melon Music Awards
| Year | Category | Recipient | Result |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2014 | Best New Artist | Winner | Won |
| Top 10 Artists | Won | ||
| Netizen Popularity Award | Nominated | ||
| Artist of the Year | Nominated | ||
| Album of the Year | 2014 S/S | Nominated | |
| 2016 | Top 10 Artists | Winner | Nominated |
| Netizen Popularity Award | Nominated | ||
| Kakao Hot Star Award | Nominated | ||
| Best Dance Track Award | “Sentimental” | Nominated | |
| 2017 | Top 10 Artists | Winner | Won |
| Artist of the Year | Nominated | ||
| Netizen Popularity Award | Nominated | ||
| Kakao Hot Star Award | Nominated | ||
| Song of the Year | “Really Really” | Nominated | |
| Best Dance Track Award | Nominated |
Mnet Asian Music Awards
| Year | Category | Recipient | Result |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2014 | Best New Artist | Winner | Won |
| Artist of the Year | Nominated | ||
| 2017 | 2017 Favorite KPOP Star | Nominated | |
| Best Vocal Performance Group | “Really Really” | Nominated | |
| Song of the Year | Nominated | ||
| Mwave Global Fans’ Choice | Nominated |
Seoul Music Awards
| Year | Category | Recipient | Result |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2015 | Bonsang Award | Winner | Nominated |
| New Artist Award | Nominated | ||
| Popularity Award | Nominated | ||
| Hallyu Special Award | Nominated | ||
| 2017 | Bonsang Award | Nominated | |
| Popularity Award | Nominated | ||
| Hallyu Special Award | Nominated | ||
| 2018 | Bonsang Award | Nominated | |
| Popularity Award | Nominated | ||
| Hallyu Special Award | Nominated |
Soribada Best K-Music Awards
| Year | Category | Recipient | Result |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2017 | Bonsang Award | Winner | Nominated |
| Popularity Award | Nominated |
Tudou Young Choice Awards
| Year | Category | Recipient | Result |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2014 | Most Popular Korean Group | Winner | Won |
QQ Music Awards
| Year | Category | Recipient | Result |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2015 | Best New Force Group | Winner | Won |
MTV Asia Music Gala
| Year | Category | Recipient | Result |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2016 | Overseas Popularity Award | Winner | Won |
Other awards
| Year | Award | Category | Recipient | Result |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2014 | A-Awards | Contemporary (Mont Blanc Homme) Award | Winner | Won |
| SBS MTV Best of the Best | Rookie of the Year | Nominated | ||
| SBS Gayo Daejeon | Best New Artist | Won | ||
| Style Icon Awards | New Icons | Won | ||
| 2016 | Awesome K-Style | Won | ||
| 2017 | Sports DongA Awards | The Flower Path of the Year | Won |
Mnet M Countdown
| Year | Date | Song |
|---|---|---|
| 2014 | August 21 | “Empty” |
| August 28 | ||
| September 18 | ||
| 2016 | February 25 | “Sentimental” |
| 2017 | April 13 | “Really Really” |
| April 20 | ||
| 2018 | April 12 | “Everyday” |
| May 3 |
KBS Music Bank
| Year | Date | Song |
|---|---|---|
| 2014 | August 22 | “Empty” |
SBS Inkigayo
| Year | Date | Song |
|---|---|---|
| 2014 | August 24 | “Empty” |
| August 31 | ||
| 2017 | April 16 | “Really Really” |
| April 23 | ||
| 2018 | April 15 | “Everyday” |
MBC Show! Music Core
| Year | Date | Song |
|---|---|---|
| 2017 | April 22 | “Really Really” |
| 2018 | April 14 | “Everyday” |
Concerts
Recently, Jinu and the other members of WINNER were in the middle of their world tour, the WINNER Everywhere Tour. Previously, between August and November, they already held their concerts in Asia. In December WINNER’s Min-ho had a solo album comeback, and the group put out the WINNER year-end single. This is their world tour schedule:
-Asia 2018-
August 19th, Sunday- Seoul (Olympic Gymnastics Arena)
September 23rd, Sunday- Taipei (NTSU Arena)
October 14th, Sunday- Kuala Lumpur (Malawati Indoor Stadium)
October 21st, Sunday- Bangkok (Thunder Dome, Muang Thong Thani)
November 3rd, Saturday- Singapore (The Max Pavilion@Singapore Expo)
November 10th, Saturday- Manila (Mall Of Asia Arena)
November 17th, Saturday- Jakarta (Tennis Indoor Senayan)
November 24th, Saturday- Hong Kong (Asia World-Expo, Arena)
January 5th 2019, Saturday- Seoul (Encore) (KSPO DOME)
-North America 2019-
January 15th, Tuesday- Seattle (Paramount Theater)
January 18th, Friday- San Francisco (The Masonic)
January 20th, Sunday- Los Angeles (Hollywood Palladium)
January 22nd, Tuesday- Dallas (The Pavilion At Toyota Music Factory)
January 24th, Thursday- Chicago (Rosemont Theatre)
January 27th, Sunday- Toronto (Sony Centre For The Performing Arts)
January 29th, Tuesday- New York (Hulu Theater At Madison Square Garden)
For a bonus, below are some of Jinu’s focus photos from the WINNER Everywhere Tour, he looked like a handsome prince charming!
Jinu’s solo stage, covering a G-Dragon song, Untitled.
What a mischievous Mino with his hyung!
Military Enlistment Rumors
As of yet, there hasn’t been any official announcement regarding Jinu’s official date for his military enlistment. Even so, some fans already predicted the year of his departure in an online fan cafe. Since Jinu is the oldest in the group, he might be the first to enlist among group members. Fans predicted Jinu will enlist in 2020, alongside the other idols such as SHINEE’s Minho, SHINEE’s Key, EXO’s Suho, BTOB’s Lee Changsub, BTS’s Jin, and so on.
