TVXQ (stylized as TVXQ!; ), also known as in Japan, is a South Korean duo formed by SM Entertainment, composed of U-Know Yunho and Max Changmin. On January 25 and 26, 2011, Yunho and Changmin began their activities as the duo TVXQ, starting with "SMTOWN LIVE"—a joint concert organized by SM Entertainment that marked the event's debut in Japan.
Originally formed in 2003 as a five-member boy band which also consisted of members Hero Jaejoong, Micky Yoochun, and Xiah Junsu, TVXQ debuted with their first single "Hug" (2004). Their first four albums as a quintet, Tri-Angle (2004), Rising Sun (2005), "O"-Jung.Ban.Hap. (2006), and Mirotic (2008), received chart-topping commercial success in South Korea, with the latter winning the Golden Disk Award for Album of the Year. Mirotic title track was recognized by international music critics as a staple in K-pop. They were one of the first Korean artists to lead the Korean Wave in Japan, where they were propelled to mainstream stardom following the release of their fourth Japanese album The Secret Code (2009).
However, despite their commercial success, the band was plunged into legal turmoil and internal conflict when members Jaejoong, Yoochun, and Junsu attempted to split from their Korean agency SM Entertainment. They released their last Japanese album as a quintet, Best Selection 2010 prior to the trio's departure in 2010. It became the band's first album to top the Oricon Albums Chart. Two previously released songs on the album, One Piece theme song, "Share the World" (2009), were platinum-selling.
After a year-long hiatus, TVXQ returned as a duo with their fifth Korean album Keep Your Head Down (2011), topping album charts in most major Asian markets upon release. Their first two Japanese albums as a duo, Tone (2011) and Time (2013), solidified their success in Japan as it forged TVXQ's reputation as one of the top-touring artists in the country. Their tenth Japanese album XV (2019) made TVXQ the first foreign music act in Japan to have six number-one albums in a row.
Having sold over 10 million physical records in the first 10 years of their career, TVXQ are one of Asia's most successful music acts of their generation. They are sometimes referred to as "Asia's Stars" and the "Kings of K-pop" for their immense success and contributions to the Korean Wave. According to Oricon, TVXQ have the most number-one singles and albums for a foreign artist in Japan, and are Japan's best-selling foreign artist of all time. Their Time Tour, one of the highest-grossing concert tours of 2013, broke attendance records for foreign singers in Japan until 2017, when TVXQ broke their own record with their Begin Again Tour. TVXQ are the first non-Japanese Asian artists to headline a nationwide five-Dome tour and the first foreign artists to headline the Nissan Stadium. Billboard has described the band as "K-pop royalty." TVXQ held a successful 3-day performance at Tokyo Dome on April 27, 2025 to commemorate their 20th anniversary.
History 2003: Formation With the disbandment of H.O.T. in 2001 and Shinhwa's departure in 2003, producer Lee Soo-man of SM Entertainment went on a search for another boy band to stay competitive in the growing K-pop market. In early 2003, Lee eventually selected five teenage boys from four different SM training teams to debut in a vocal dance unit. Xiah Junsu, the first to join the new group, became an SM trainee at age eleven and was originally trained to be a solo singer. He was put into an R&B trio with trainees Sungmin and Eunhyuk (both now of Super Junior fame), and the trio made their first appearance on the reality show Survival Audition – Heejun vs. Kangta, Battle of the Century, a 2002 series that starred former H.O.T. members Kangta and Moon Hee-jun as mentors for prospective singers.
U-Know Yunho, who signed with SM Entertainment in 2000, was a member of several failed project groups throughout his years as a trainee. In 2001, he was featured as a rapper in Dana's debut single "Diamond" and briefly toured with her. That same year, Hero Jaejoong auditioned for SM Entertainment and was subsequently accepted into the agency after going through various auditions. Following trainees Heechul and Kangin, Yunho and Jaejoong joined the project group Four Seasons in 2002, but the quartet disbanded when Yunho and Jaejoong were selected to join Lee's new group in 2003. Heechul and Kangin went on to debut as members of Super Junior two years later.
Max Changmin, the youngest at age fifteen, was the fourth to join the new band. Micky Yoochun, who started his training only a few months before the band's official debut in December 2003, was the last member to make the cut. The boys received phone calls from Lee and were told to attend a photo shoot session, which turned out to be a briefing for their upcoming debut. To build group chemistry, the members moved into a small dormitory room arranged by their management. After a few weeks of training and rehearsals, they recorded their first song "Thanks To" and performed it at the SM New Face Showcase. Yunho was appointed as the band's leader.
During their early recording sessions, the band was offered some tentative names to use: SM5, Dream Team, O Jang Yuk Bu (; literally "The Five Visceras and the Six Entrails"), Jeon Meok Go (short for Jeonseoleul Meokgo Saneun Gorae; ; literally "A Whale That Eats Legends"), and Dong Bang Bul Pae (), the Korean name for the Chinese wuxia character, Invincible East. They decided on Dong Bang Bul Pae, and even obtained permission to use the name from Film Workshop, but the name was later rejected by their management because the Hanja was not aesthetically pleasing. Their name was subsequently finalized to Dong Bang Shin Ki (), which was suggested by Lee's acquaintance.
TVXQ made their first public appearance and debut on December 26, 2003, in a BoA and Britney Spears showcase, where they performed their debut single "Hug" and an a cappella rendition of "O Holy Night" with BoA.
2004–2005: Debut and early years The group released the physical single of "Hug" on January 14, 2004.Catch Me – Production Note (released December 27, 2013) The single debuted at number thirty seven on the monthly MIAK chartPrior to the establishment of the Circle Chart (previously known as the Gaon Chart), South Korea's music charts were supplied by the Music Industry of Korea (MIAK), which only published monthly and yearly rankings. Thus, all rankings for Korean records in this article up to 2010 refer to the monthly charts, and all rankings for Japanese records refer to the Oricon's weekly charts, unless otherwise stated. selling less than 5,000 copies. On February 6, 2004, TVXQ made their official television debut at the Mnet and KM cable music program Music Tank, where they performed "Hug" and "O Holy Night". The following day, they performed on SBS's Inkigayo.
The sales of "Hug" picked up following their television appearances, and on March 28, 2004, TVXQ won their first music show award with "Hug" on Inkigayo. "Hug" won two more music show awards in April 2004. By May 2004, "Hug" sold 118,114 copies and reached a peak at number four on the MIAK for April 2004, and stayed charted for ten consecutive months. On June 24, 2004, TVXQ released their second single "The Way U Are", which entered the MIAK at number two for June 2004. In July 2004, TVXQ participated in their first SM Town project and collaborated with other label mates to release the SM Town album, 2004 Summer Vacation in SMTown.com. In October 2004, TVXQ released their first full-length studio album Tri-Angle. It was TVXQ's first record to debut at number one on the MIAK, selling a total of 242,580 copies in the month of October. According to the MIAK, "The Way U Are" and Tri-Angle were two of the top ten best-selling physical albums of 2004.
During the promotions of Tri-Angle, SM Entertainment had plans to promote TVXQ in mainland China and Taiwan under the support of its overseas partner, Avex Group under the name 東方神起 or TongVfangXienQi. TVXQ members recorded Mandarin versions of their popular singles and released them exclusively on the Taiwan press of Tri-Angle.
Inspired by the success of BoA's Japanese music career, TVXQ signed with Japan's Avex Group in late 2004. In November 2004, they released an English version of "Hug" in Japan, but the single failed to gain momentum despite TVXQ's success in South Korea, Taiwan, and China. Re-introduced as for the Japanese market, the members learned Japanese and move to Japan for their first official single. They released their debut Japanese single "Stay with Me Tonight" in April 2005 through Avex's record label Rhythm Zone. The single reached to number thirty-seven on the weekly Oricon Singles Chart. Before returning to Korea to prepare for their second Korean album, TVXQ released their second Japanese single "Somebody to Love" in July 2005, which peaked at number fourteen on the Oricon. TVXQ's debut in Japan was not as successful as their management had hoped, and the group said their first few months in Japan were difficult. To promote their singles, TVXQ performed for Avex's annual A-Nation summer concert tour in August 2005, their first musical festival in Japan.
Their second Korean album Rising Sun was released in South Korea on September 12, 2005, and became the group's first breakthrough album. It debuted at number one on the Korean charts and was the fourth best-selling record of 2005. The album's lead single "Rising Sun" was a popular hit, and it eventually became the group's signature piece. TVXQ ended the year with two more releases: their third Japanese single "My Destiny" and a Korean maxi single "Show Me Your Love", featuring Super Junior. The latter single entered the Korean charts at number one for December 2005. Rising Sun garnered several popularity awards for the group at the end of the year, including M.net KM Music Video Festival's Best Popular Music Video award, the ceremony's daesang ("grand prize").
2006–2007: Japanese albums and "O"-Jung.Ban.Hap.
In February 2006, TVXQ embarked on their first headlining international concert tour, the Rising Sun Tour. Comprising six shows only, the tour started off with four shows in Seoul, South Korea. On July 14, 2006, the tour stopped by Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, where TVXQ were the first Korean artist to hold a concert in the country. The tour's second and last overseas stop was in Bangkok, Thailand on July 15, 2006. A CD recording of their concert in Korea was released on July 14; the DVD was released six months later in January 2007, and had initial sales of 38,000 units.
On March 8, 2006, TVXQ released their fourth Japanese single, , which became the seventeenth ending theme for the long-running anime series One Piece. Their debut Japanese album Heart, Mind and Soul was released two weeks later, and it debuted on the Oricon Albums Chart at number twenty-five, selling 18,000 copies. In April 2006, TVXQ released their first double A-side single "Rising Sun / Heart, Mind and Soul" as a follow-up from their album. The single peaked at number twenty-two. To support Heart, Mind and Soul and its subsequent releases, TVXQ held their first Japanese tour, the 1st Live Tour 2006: Heart, Mind and Soul, from May to June 2006. The tour consisted of eleven shows that attracted an audience of 14,800. After the tour, TVXQ released two more Japanese singles, "Begin" and "Sky". The latter debuted at number six on the Oricon, making it the group's first single to reach the top ten in Japan.