According to Allkpop, earlier this month, JYP Entertainment announced that 2PM boy group member and actor Lee Jun Ho has decided to leave the company after 17 years of association.
In an official statement, JYP stated, "Lee Jun Ho's exclusive contract with JYP Entertainment will end on April 15. After a long and sincere discussion, we have decided that Lee Jun Ho will not renew his contract."
To say goodbye to the management company he has been with since his early days in the entertainment industry, Lee Jun Ho prepared many gifts for JYP employees on the day of the farewell.
On the online community theqoo, a post that attracted 45,000 views showed many gifts that Lee Jun Ho sent to JYP's staff with the message: "To JYP's family, I am very happy for the time we were together. Thank you very much".
Lee Jun Ho's generous and thoughtful actions received many compliments.
In addition, the audience discussed the reason why Lee Jun Ho left JYP after 17 years of association. Many opinions said that he left the company because he wanted to develop more as an actor, while JYP was a company specializing in Kpop artist management.
Lee Jun Ho signed a contract with JYP in 2006, after winning the Superstar Survival competition. 2 years later (2008), he debuted in the boy band 2PM with members Junsu, Nichkhun, Taecyeon, Wooyoung and Chansung.
In 2013, Lee Jun Ho made his first breakthrough as a solo artist in Japan, through the release of his debut mini album Kimi no Koe. In particular, he is not only a singer but also takes on the role of producer, musician and lyricist for all songs.
After that, Lee Jun Ho and 2PM continued to operate strongly in the Korean and Japanese markets. 2PM has become one of the most famous groups of the second generation of Kpop.
At the same time as his solo music career, Lee Jun Ho also ventured into acting. In 2013, he had his first role in the movie Cold Eyes. In 2015, Lee Jun Ho took on the lead role in the movie Twenty for the first time, along with Kim Woo Bin and Kang Ha Neul.
In 2016, Lee Jun Ho first acted in a TV series, with a supporting role in the movie Memory. A year later, he became the main actor of the hit office comedy Good Manager.
In 2021, Lee Jun Ho caused a stir when he took on the role of Prince Yi San, later King Jeongjo, in MBC's historical drama "The Red Sleeve".
Hankookilbo commented that Lee Jun Ho is the most brilliant actor in the film. In the role of an outdated emperor, the actor brings a sense of power, masculinity, and charm, but sometimes very childish and witty.
Cultural critic Jeong Deok Hyun commented: Vieque films are not an easy work for actors. Requires actors to demonstrate their authority and political ambitions. Lee Jun Ho, despite being an idol, has overcome prejudice and successfully expressed the diversity of his characters.
This role helped Lee Jun Ho win the Best Actor award at the 2022 Baeksang Arts Awards.
According to Korean media, Lee Jun Ho is one of the people who contributed to eliminating the "performing idol" prejudice, becoming the most successful idol when entering the acting field.
In 2023, Lee Jun Ho continued to cause a stir when he starred in the romantic film "King the Land" with YoonA (SNSD). The film achieved a rating of 13.7% when broadcast on JTBC and climbed to Top 1 on Netflix worldwide.
In the second half of this year, Lee Jun Ho will return to work as the lead in tvN's drama "Typhoon Company".
