Choi Jong-ho (; born October 12, 2000), known mononymously as Jongho, is a South Korean singer and actor. He debuted as the main vocalist of the boy group Ateez in 2018. Jongho made his acting debut in the 2021 KBS drama Imitation. He also contributed to multiple original soundtracks of the drama as a member of Shax, a fictional idol group in the series.
Early life Choi Jongho was born on October 12, 2000, in Nowon District, Seoul, South Korea. Jongho graduated from and . He is currently enrolled in in the Department of Broadcasting and Entertainment.
Career 2017: Pre-debut In 2017, Jongho was introduced as one of the trainees from KQ Entertainment on the JTBC survival reality show Mix Nine. He was eliminated in the tenth episode with a final ranking of 43.
He was then introduced as a member of the pre-debut group "KQ Fellaz" alongside seven others, all of whom are now part of the boy group Ateez.
2018–present: Debut with Ateez, solo activities and acting debut
On October 24, 2018, Jongho officially debuted as the main vocalist of KQ Entertainment's first boy group Ateez with the debut EP Treasure EP.1: All to Zero. Under the group's name, Jongho has performed two solo songs, "Everything", which he co-wrote as a part of Ateez fourth studio album The World EP.Fin: Will, and "To be your light" from the album Golden Hour: Part.3 'In Your Fantasy Edition'.
From May 2020 to May 2022, Jongho released covers of Korean drama original soundtracks under the project name "JJongST" (). The music videos accompanying the covers feature Jongho visiting and singing at the location where the respective dramas are shot. Other than JJongST, Jongho also released other covers including "Wild Flower" by Park Hyo-shin, "Ditto" by NewJeans with Maddox, "Dear Name" by IU with Ateez's San, and "Tell Me That You Love Me" by James Smith.
In 2021, Jongho debuted as an actor in the KBS2 drama Imitation with the role Yoon Hyuk, the youngest member of a fictional group Shax. In August 2022, Jongho participated in the contest to crown 184th Generation Mask King in the show King of Mask Singer with the stage name "Steamed Cypresses". In September 2022, Jongho released the soundtrack "A Fairy Tale of Youth" for the reality show Young Actors' Retreat. In the same year, he released the soundtrack titled "Gravity" for the drama Reborn Rich.
In February 2023, Jongho released the soundtrack for the historical drama Our Blooming Youth titled "Wind". In May 2023, Jongho took part in Immortal Songs: Singing the Legend and performed the song "So You" by Yarn. In June, he returned to the show with the song "Things to do Tomorrow" by Sung Si-kyung. In May 2024, Jongho released the soundtrack "A Day" for the drama Lovely Runner.
From November 2024 to January 2025, Jongho appeared on KBS2 Moving Voices in Munich, Germany alongside Hongjoong, Bae Suzy, Henry Lau, Sunwoo Jung-a, and Sohyang. On December 14, 2024, Jongho collaborated with STAYC's Sieun for a duet performance of "When It Snows" by Lee Mu-jin for the 2024 Music Bank Global Festival in Japan. On April 7, 2025, Kwon Soon-kwan of the South Korean indie band No Reply released the digital single "Our Memories" () featuring Jongho.
In August 2025, Jongho released the soundtrack "Just like the First Time" () for the drama The Nice Guy. Outside of his music career, Jongho is an avid baseball enthusiast, often expressing his support for the Doosan Bears. On August 27, 2025, Jongho was invited to throw the ceremonial first pitch at a Doosan Bears game. In October 2025, Jongho appeared in KBS2 The Seasons to perform "Good Day" by IU and "Because you're my woman" by Lee Seung-gi. In December 2025, Jongho released the music video for his solo song "To Be Your Light".
Personal life On August 26, 2023, KQ entertainment announced that Jongho would suspend his activities to undergo surgery and rehabilitation for his meniscus rupture. On October 12, 2023, it was announced that Jongho would be returning from his hiatus and joining the rest of Ateez for M Countdown in France.
Discography
As featured artist Title Year Album "우리의 기억 (Our Memories)" 2025
Soundtrack appearances Title Year Peak chart positions Album KOR Peak positions on the Circle Digital Chart: "A Day": "Malo" () 2021 — Imitation OST "Amen" () — "Trouble Maker" () — "A Fairy Tale of Youth" 2022 — Young Actors' Retreat OST "Gravity" — Reborn Rich OST "Wind" 2023 — Our Blooming Youth OST "A Day" 2024 133 Lovely Runner OST "Just like the First Time" 2025 — The Nice Guy OST
Filmography
Television series Year Title Role Notes 2021 Imitation Yoon Hyuk
Television shows + Year Title Role Notes 2017–2018 Mix Nine Contestant Ranked 43rd overall (Male category) 2022 King of Mask Singer Episode 369; Participated as "Steamed Cypresses" 2023 Immortal Songs: Singing the Legend Episode 606 2024 Episode 662 2024–2025 Moving Voices Cast Episode 6-10; In Germany
Radio shows Year Title Role Notes 2020 Idol Radio Special DJ Ep 470; with Hongjoong
Composition credits All song credits are adapted from the Korea Music Copyright Association's database unless stated otherwise.
Year Artist Song Album Lyrics Music2018Ateez"From"2023Jongho"Everything" The World EP.Fin: Will2025Jongho"To be your light" Golden Hour: Part.3 'In Your Fantasy Edition'
Accolades
Awards and nominations +Name of the award ceremony, year presented, award category, nominee(s) of the award, and the result of the nomination Award ceremony Year Category Nominee(s)/work(s) Result APAN Star Awards2023Best Original Soundtrack "Wind" 2025 "Just like the First Time" Korea Grand Music Awards2024 Best O.S.T"A Day" Newsis K-Expo2025 OST Division Seoul Music Awards2025 OST Award
Listicles + Name of publisher, year listed, name of listicle, and placement Publisher Year Listicle Placement Forbes Korea 2024 The Best OST Singer 1 Billboard 2025 Billboard K-Pop Artist 100 54
Notes
References
External links