Taeheon (태헌), also known by his full name Kim Tae Heon (김태헌), is a South Korean singer and actor under Midas Entertainment. He is a member of the boy group ZE:A, its sub-units ZE:A 4U, ZE:A J and the project trot duo 1989.
Career[]
2010-2017: ZE:A, ZE:A 4U, ZE:A J[]
On January 7, 2010, he debuted as a member of ZE:A with their first single album "Nativity".
On June 17, 2013, he debuted as a member of ZE:A's second sub-unit ZE:A 4U with the Japanese mini album Oops!! ~ アプサ!! ~.
On January 21, 2015, he debuted as a part of ZE:A's third sub-unit ZE:A J with the single album "Roulette".[1]
On January 6, 2017, his contract with Star Empire Entertainment expired and he decided to not renew.[2] On September 19, it was officially announced that he had departed from the agency to embark on independent activities.[3] Despite this, he was still a member of ZE:A as they went on an indefinite hiatus.[4]
2020: 1989[]
On October 5, 2020, he debuted as one half of the trot duo 1989 with the digital single "Chirit Chirit", under his full name Kim Tae Heon.
2025: Acting beginnings[]
On February 21, 2025, he announced plans for his new start as an actor.[5]
Personal life[]
Family[]
After his father passed away when he was 8 due to a car accident, his family fell into a lot of debt. As a result, his mother had to work hard to pay off the debt, which led to her getting sick and later passed away when he was in his third year of middle school due to breast cancer.[6]
During his time as a member of ZE:A, he lived a life of steady success before their disbandment and successfully paid off all of his father's debts. Him, along with his aunt, later invested money to open a store for his sister. However, when the store failed, his older sister ran away in the middle of the night and he had been looking for her ever since.[6]
Enlistment[]
On November 30, 2015, it was announced that he would be enlisting in the military as an active duty soldier on December 7.[7] He was discharged on September 6, 2017.[3]
Financial struggles[]
In an interview with Recent Olympics in 2023, Taeheon revealed that he didn’t have work after he was discharged and began to struggle financially. At first, he worked part-time at a bar for nearly a year. However, due to the nature of the job, he had to drink a lot, which affected his health. As a result, he quit and started doing construction site part-time jobs for about four months. As the work wasn't consistent, he couldn’t pay the bills and didn’t have heat, water, or electricity, which led him to develop a skin condition. After this, he started working at the e-commerce company Coupang, where he was employed at one of their distribution centers.[8]
During his appearance on Ask Anything in 2024, he revealed that he started working part-time at a meat restaurant on a friend's recommendation and was later promoted to manager, as well as starting a joint venture with a friend who owned a Chinese restaurant.[9]
Discography[]
Features[]
- 리엔리쥬 - "사장님 잡채 있어요?" (2024)
Gallery[]
- Main article: Taeheon/Gallery
References[]
- ↑ Korea JoongAng Daily: ZE:A launches spinoff group in Japan
- ↑ (KR) Seoul Economic Daily: 제국의아이들, 스타제국과 전속계약 종료..."앞으로의 행보는 더 논의"(공식입장)
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 (KR) YTN: [단독] '제아' 태헌·준영, 독자 활동 시작…스타제국과 결별
- ↑ (KR) News1: 제국의아이들 측 "해체 아냐…추후 완전체 가능성"[공식]
- ↑ @th618 on Instagram (February 21, 2025)
- ↑ 6.0 6.1 (KR) Chosun: 제국의아이들 출신 김태헌 "父 빚 갚고나니 누나 8년째 잠적, 생활고까지"('특종세상')
- ↑ Soompi: ZE:A's Taehun Enlisting in the Military on December 7
- ↑ Koreaboo: ZE:A’s Kim Taeheon Realistically Updates Fans On His Life Since The Group’s Hiatus
- ↑ Ten Asia: Former ZE:A Member Kim Tae-heon Opens Up About Struggles and Search for Missing Sister
Official links[]
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