Jo Hyun Jae

MBC on April 25 resurrected a video they broadcast a couple of years ago – about actors’ professions before they became actors.  When he was 18, JHJ was a member of the boy band Guardian which soon disbanded.  That is why we now have actor JHJ.

But why is MBC broadcasting this old video which is not even news?  Could it be they have their eye on JHJ for their new drama (in the future)?  (Pure speculation on our part.)

For those new JHJ fans who have not seen the complete Guardian video, here it is.  (For more, please see Category: JHJ in Guardian.”)  This is a very precious video: it shows JHJ in the only Guardian song ever performed in public.  JHJ says he is embarrassed that it is still in existence.  We are very grateful it is preserved — JHJ at 18 is so cute!

 
JHJ now (OST from “49 Days” : “Even if I can only live for one day”):

조현재 – 단 하루를 살아도 by ggamjjak

(Credit: http://gall.dcinside.com; http://hyunjaelove.jp; www.johyunjae.hk. Thanks!)

You saw the real thing in yesterday’s post - these are JHJ fans’ creations.

Most JHJ fans have only heard the Guardian song on the video on yesterday’s post.  That’s the only song on their ill-fated CD that the boy band ever performed in public.

Here you will find two more songs that you’ve probably never heard before.  In the 3 following clips (not counting first one INTRO), you have to wait for them to load.  The first two should have 3 small photos and the third 5.  Click on any of the small photos to play song.  The second and third are the “new” songs.

Listening to them is an interesting experience.  It’s like turning a leaf back to JHJ’s past.

 Intro (will play by itself – please wait for it to load)

 #2 song on CD

If you see a blank space, it’s because clips are loading.  Please be patient.

(Credit: http://gall.dcinside.com; http://blog.naver.com; www.johyunjae.com. Thanks!)

All JHJ fans know he was a singer before he became an actor.  The 18-year-old JHJ was in a boy band called Guardian which disbanded soon after releasing their one and only CD.  What is featured in this post must be one of the few original CDs still in existence.

We don’t know how our friend B dug up this.  (She has the skills of an archaelogist!)  The Korean fan who posted this somehow stamped her name on JHJ in practically every photo! (just short of defacing him!)

A very young JHJ and Kim Kang-Woo, the only other member of Guardian who survived the breakup of the boy band and made it in the entertainment world as an actor

The above photos, although rather blurry, are very precious and belong to the JHJ archives.  Are you able to identify JHJ among the four boys?  We’ve posted the video of the only song they ever performed in public here (#2 on CD.)  We’ve watched it N times and still enjoy it every single time.

Videos are identical: 1st is YOUTUBE, 2nd is 56.com.  Enjoy!

(Credit:  http://gall.dcinside.com; http://blog.naver.com; www.johyunjae.hk.  Thanks!)

This video shows Jo Hyun-Jae on tvN’s entertainment news programme called “Before Star”.  What were they before they became actors?  For JHJ and Kim Kang-Woo, it is of course being members of the boy band Guardian.  Of the four boys, they are the only two who managed to survive in the entertainment world and make it in the world of acting.

The programme also mentions JHJ’s recent discharge and speculates whether he will continue his singing career. 

Videos are identical – 1st is YOUTUBE, 2nd is YOUKU.

 JHJ and KKW are 3rd on the TOP 10 of unusual changes in profession.

The man in the photo is the CBS supervisor in charge at the time.  He said: “It is very difficult to be chosen as a singer in those days.  Even then, JHJ and KKW were no exceptions.  Actually they only made 3 appearances on TV as Guardian.  In the end the door closed on them.” [meaning the door to a singing career.]

The following video shows JHJ in his Guardian days when he was 18.  For more, please see our earlier posts under Category: JHJ in Guardian.

(Credit: Mandalaywith at ING http://johyunjae.cn; http://johyunjae.com; www.johyunjae.hk.  Thanks!)

Many of you will have seen the one and only Guardian video still in existence (which Jo Hyun-Jae says makes him a little embarrassed.)  He has no need to be embarrassed – he acquits himself very well at 18, even though his voice sounds somewhat boyish.  We love JHJ in Guardian, so here is another version (exclusively of JHJ — you can’t see the other members of the band, only hear them.)

For the original video, please go to our Category “JHJ in Guardian.”

(Credit: Param of CarpeDiemJAPAN.  Thanks!)

Here is a clearer version of what you saw yesterday.  We’re sure you don’t mind watching the very young Jo Hyun-Jae and his band mates in Guardian going through the motions one more time.  JHJ at 18 is so cute!

The first CD is the real thing.  The other two featuring JHJ exclusively are “produced” by his fans.

(Credit: http://cafe.daum.net/hyunjaelove.jp; www.johyunjae.hk.  Thanks!)

Some of you may have seen the video of Jo Hyun-Jae in Guardian before.  Unfortunately the quality of these videos is not very good, rather blurry.  JHJ himself said he’s very surprised these videos are still around. 

The first video has clips from other videos, so it is the most comprehensive.  It mostly shows the boys performing in their white uniform.

The second video (very short) shows the boys in black, again doing the same song (probably the only song that was promoted.)

The third video (even shorter) is supposed to highlight discovery of former profession (singer in boy band) of the now famous JHJ.

We are glad JHJ successfully made the transition from singer to actor.  It is not easy, and not many artists make it.  I read somewhere that managers often mistreat and bully the artists under their control, and beatings and other physical abuses are common.  Andy (of the group Shinhwa) who entered the military last week once had to wear a mask to perform on stage because his face was all swollen from the beatings he took.  There are many more such “horror stories” that are supposed to be common knowledge in the Korean entertainment world.  Sometimes we wonder how JHJ could have survived, given his temperament and personality.

(Credit: Param of carpediemJAPAN; cafe,daum.net; hyunjaelove.jp.  Thanks!)

You do know Jo Hyun-Jae was a singer before he was an actor, don’t you? Rather, he was a member of a boy band called “Guardian” when he was 18. The group obviously didn’t do very well because it soon disbanded. We think their manager chose the wrong lead singer! But then if “Guardian” had made it big, we would not have the actor Jo Hyun-Jae.

This 1998 video is a great discovery and shows a very young, very sweet JHJ who sings pretty well, to our biased ears. He looks even better (definitely shouldn’t be dancing at the back!) It’s fun watching the boys going through their motions.

This is the “white” video; there’s another “black” version (the boys dressed in black.) We’ll see if we can locate that.

(Photos courtesy of Param of carpediemJapan. Thanks!)