Seo Soo-jin (Korean서수진; born March 9, 1998), better known mononymously as Soojin, is a South Korean singer, dancer, and rapper. She is a former member of the South Korean girl group (G)I-dle under Cube Entertainment. After she left the group in 2021, she made her debut as soloist with the EP Agassy, released on November 8, 2023, under BRD Communications.

Soojin
Soojin in 2020
Born
Seo Soo-jin

(1998-03-09) March 9, 1998 (age 26)
Hwaseong, Gyeonggi, South Korea
Occupations
  • Singer
  • dancer
  • rapper
Musical career
GenresK-pop
InstrumentVocals
Years active
  • 2015–2021
  • 2023–present
Labels
Formerly of
Korean name
Hangul
서수진
Hanja
Revised RomanizationSeo Su-jin
McCune–ReischauerSŏ Suchin
Signature
220px

Early life

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Soojin was born in Gyeonggi, South Korea. She attended Waw Middle School in Hwaseong. She later learned jazz dance and taekwondo while studying at the Korean Arts High School. She decided early in her life that she wanted to pursue a singing career, but said it took two years for her to convince her father to agree with her decisions.[2]

Career

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Pre-debut

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Soojin was a trainee under DN Entertainment and was originally supposed to be a member of the South Korean girl group Vividiva under her stage name N.Na (앤나). She took part in several performances and photo shoots of the group,[3] but then left the group in 2015.[2][4][unreliable source?]

Then in 2016, Soojin became a trainee at Cube Entertainment.[4] In 2017–2018 she appeared in fellow-member Soyeon's solo music videos for the songs "Jelly" and "Idle Song" as an unknown dancer and wearing a mask.[5][6]

2018–2020: Debut with (G)I-dle, and solo activities

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In 2018, she was revealed as a member of the girl group (G)I-dle.[7][unreliable source?] She debuted with the group on May 2, 2018, following the release of the group's debut mini album, I Am and its lead single "Latata".[8][9][10] (G)I-dle made their debut stage performance on Mnet's M Countdown.[11]

In October 2020, Glance TV introduced their new fashion show Minnie Soojin's i'M THE TREND (민니 수진의 i'M THE TREND) and paired Seo and Minnie together.[12][13] The duo had a styling battle every time for the title of 'Trend Center', which is a combination of a trend setter and an idol center. In addition, the duo revealed their styling secrets, various outfits, shopping tips and video pictorial 'Fashion Film'. The show premiered on October 14 through Naver Style TV.[14]

2021–2022: Bullying scandal, and departure from (G)I-dle and Cube Entertainment

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On March 4, 2021, it was announced that Soojin would temporarily halt all activities following allegations of bullying by former classmates.[15] On August 14, Cube Entertainment announced that Soojin had officially withdrawn from (G)I-dle, though she will remain under the same agency.[16] (G)I-dle would continue its activities as a five-member girl group after her departure.[17]

On March 5, 2022, Cube Entertainment announced that they have officially terminated Soojin's contract after police investigations concluded that the accusers were not guilty of spreading false information.[18] On September 8, Soojin's legal representative released a statement on her behalf, stating that "the school's Autonomous Committee for School Violence Countermeasures found her not guilty. Instead, they discovered she had been a victim of bullying, and no further legal action will be pursued".[19]

2023–present: New agency, and solo debut

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On October 16, 2023, it was announced that Soojin signed an exclusive contract with BRD and was preparing to make her solo debut the same month.[20][21] A dance performance video was released on October 25, entitled "Black Forest", teasing her upcoming solo debut.[22] Her debut EP Agassy was released on November 8.[23]

On May 23, 2024, Soojin released her second EP Rizz, with the title track "Mona Lisa".[24]

Discography

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Extended plays

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List of extended plays, showing selected details, selected chart positions, and sales figures
Title Details Peak chart
positions
Sales
KOR
[25]
Agassy (아가씨) 7
Rizz
  • Released: May 23, 2024
  • Label: BRD
  • Formats: CD, digital download, streaming
7

Singles

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List of singles, with year released, selected chart positions, and album name
Title Year Peak chart positions Album
KOR
DL

[28]
"Agassy" (아가씨) 2023 84 Agassy
"Mona Lisa" 2024 172 Rizz

Videography

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Music videos

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Title Year Director(s) Ref.
"Agassy" (아가씨) 2023 Kim Nam-suk
(Segaji Video)
[29]
"Mona Lisa" 2024 Ziyong Kim
(Fantazy Lab)
[30]

Filmography

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Variety shows

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Year Title Note Ref.
2020 Minnie Soojin's i'm the Trend Cast member with Minnie [13]

References

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  1. ^ "K-Pop Girl Group (G)I-DLE Signs With Republic Records in the US". Billboard. April 9, 2020. Archived from the original on January 4, 2021. Retrieved May 26, 2021.
  2. ^ a b "(G) I-dle's Soojin: dancing queen who is cutest offstage". South China Morning Post. Jeff Benjamin. May 20, 2020. Archived from the original on November 9, 2020. Retrieved November 8, 2020.
  3. ^ Yoo, Hyeji (March 22, 2021). "(여자)아이들 수진, 극장 공연형 '비비디바' 활동 당시 모습 재조명" [(G)I-DLE's soojin re-illuminates her appearance at the time of her theater performance type 'Vividiva' activities]. Top Star news (in Korean). Archived from the original on October 27, 2023. Retrieved October 17, 2022.
  4. ^ a b "(G)I-DLE's Soojin was originally set to debut with another group – KBIZOOM". September 23, 2018. Archived from the original on September 29, 2020. Retrieved November 8, 2020.
  5. ^ "전소연(JEON SOYEON) - 'Jelly' Official Music Video". YouTube. United CUBE (CUBE Entertainment Official YouTube Channel). Archived from the original on January 14, 2019.
  6. ^ "[MV] JEON SOYEON (전소연) _ Idle song (아이들 쏭)". YouTube. 1theK (원더케이). Archived from the original on July 26, 2020.
  7. ^ "Upcoming girl group (G)I-DLE introduce Soojin & Shuhua". allkpop. Archived from the original on November 10, 2020. Retrieved November 8, 2020.
  8. ^ "(G)I-DLE Go Top 5 on World Albums & Song Sales Charts With Debut Releases". Billboard. May 17, 2018. Archived from the original on January 16, 2021. Retrieved November 8, 2020.
  9. ^ "[MV] (G)I-DLE ((여자)아이들) _ LATATA". YouTube. 1theK (원더케이). Archived from the original on November 3, 2020.
  10. ^ "[직격인터뷰] (여자)아이들 "데뷔 20일만 1위? 생각도 못해, 초심 잃지 않겠다"". chosun.com. July 19, 2020. Archived from the original on January 14, 2021. Retrieved November 8, 2020.
  11. ^ "[(G)I-DLE - LATATA] Debut Stage| M COUNTDOWN 20180503 EP.569". YouTube. Archived from the original on January 14, 2019.
  12. ^ @glance_tv (October 6, 2020). 이 구역 패피돌 (여자)아이들의 #민니 #수진 이 붙었다! 진짜 패피의 자리를 건 Fire#스타일링 대결 민니 수진의 i'M THE TREND. Twitter. Archived from the original on October 6, 2020. Retrieved November 20, 2020.
  13. ^ a b 민니 수진의 i'M THE TREND(암더트렌드) [Minni Soojin's i'M THE TREND (Im the Trend)]. Naver. September 29, 2020. Archived from the original on November 1, 2020. Retrieved November 20, 2020.
  14. ^ Lee Keum-Yong (October 14, 2020). 글랜스TV, 패션 콘텐츠 < 민니 수진의 i'M THE TREND > 런칭 [Glance TV launches fashion content <Minnie Soojin's i'M THE TREND>]. Movieist. Archived from the original on November 28, 2020. Retrieved November 20, 2020.
  15. ^ "Why is the K-pop bullying scandal blowing up now and what will become of it?". March 2, 2021. Archived from the original on March 9, 2021. Retrieved March 4, 2021.
  16. ^ Gong Mi-na (August 14, 2021). "'학폭 논란' 수진, (여자)아이들 탈퇴 ... 5인 체제[공식][전문]" (in Korean). MT Star News. Archived from the original on August 14, 2021. Retrieved August 14, 2021 – via Naver.
  17. ^ "Soojin to leave (G)I-DLE after five-month hiatus over bullying allegations". The Straits Times (Singapore). August 15, 2021. Archived from the original on August 15, 2021. Retrieved August 15, 2021.
  18. ^ Gong Mi-na (March 5, 2022). "'학폭 논란' 서수진, (여자)아이들 탈퇴→큐브엔터와 전속계약 해지(공식전문)" (in Korean). Herald Pop. Archived from the original on March 5, 2022. Retrieved March 5, 2022 – via Naver.
  19. ^ "Former (G)I-DLE star Soojin releases detailed statement in school bullying lawsuit: 'there is no other evidence...'". Zoom TV Digital. September 8, 2022. Archived from the original on September 8, 2022. Retrieved September 8, 2022 – via Zoom TV Entertainment.
  20. ^ "[단독] (여자)아이들 출신 서수진, 신생 기획사 BRD와 계약...10월 데뷔 목표". News 1. Archived from the original on October 18, 2023. Retrieved October 16, 2023 – via Daum.
  21. ^ "Soojin teases her upcoming debut". koreajoongangdaily.joins.com. October 26, 2023. Archived from the original on October 26, 2023. Retrieved October 26, 2023.
  22. ^ Chin, Carmen (October 25, 2023). "Ex-(G)I-DLE member Soojin teases solo debut with cryptic 'Black Forest' video". NME. Archived from the original on October 31, 2023. Retrieved October 27, 2023.
  23. ^ "Soojin, former (G)I-DLE member, to start solo career with album 'Agassi'". Korea JoongAng Daily. October 28, 2023. Archived from the original on November 7, 2023. Retrieved October 28, 2023.
  24. ^ Hong, Eun-hye (May 23, 2024). "드디어 '컴백 D-DAY'! 수진, 새 EP 'RIZZ' 발매" [Finally 'Comeback D-DAY'! Soo-jin releases new EP 'RIZZ'] (in Korean). ET News. Archived from the original on May 24, 2024. Retrieved May 24, 2024 – via Naver.
  25. ^ Peaks on the Circle Album Chart:
  26. ^ "Circle Album Chart – December 2023". Circle Chart (in Korean). Archived from the original on January 11, 2024. Retrieved January 12, 2024.
  27. ^ "Circle Album Chart – May, 2024". Circle Chart (in Korean). Archived from the original on June 7, 2024. Retrieved June 13, 2024.
  28. ^ Peaks on the Circle Download Chart:
  29. ^ @segajivideo (November 8, 2023). "수진(SOOJIN) - '아가씨'". Archived from the original on November 10, 2023. Retrieved November 10, 2023.
  30. ^ @musitm.h (May 24, 2024). "수진 (SOOJIN) 'MONA LISA' MV". Archived from the original on May 24, 2024. Retrieved May 24, 2024.
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