Ok Taec-yeon

Taecyeon was born in Seoul, South Korea, but emigrated at the age of 10, with his parents and older sister Jihyen to Bedford, Massachusetts,[4] a small town situated in the Greater Boston Area. It was his sister Jihyen who persuaded him to participate in a JYP Entertainment audition, whose promotion she had noticed when surfing on the Internet. After his reluctant agreement to participate, both headed for New York City on his 17th birthday. A week later he was chosen for the final 35 and got the call to go to South Korea to go further in the competition. At first Taecyeon applied to become a model, but the judges suggested he try dancing and singing. Eventually he was named one of the dozen finalists (including his future bandmates Lee Junho and Hwang Chansung) to compete in the show Superstar Survival, but was the first contestant to leave the show.[5]

Taecyeon lived in Massachusetts for seven years, attending Bedford High School where he was a member of the Chess Club, Jazz Band, JV Soccer Team and National Honor Society, before returning to pursue his career in Korea. Taecyeon transferred to Young Dong High School in Seoul and then studied Business Administration at Dankook University and attended Korea University Graduate School of International Studies.[6]

He is fluent in English, Korean and Japanese.[7] Taecyeon is also familiar with the use of the Busan satoori (dialect), which he used in the KBS2 drama Wonderful Days.[8]

He formerly hosted SBS' music show Inkigayo with Wooyoung, and was a permanent cast member on Family Outing 2 before it was cancelled.[15]

In 2010 he made his acting debut in KBS drama series Cinderella's Sister alongside Moon Geun-young and Chun Jung-myung.[16][17] He then starred in high school drama Dream High, which received high domestic ratings as well as international popularity.[18]

In September 2011, FujiTV announced that Taecyeon was going to become a regular on their Sunday drama Boku to Star no 99 Nichi, along with Japanese actor Nishijima Hidetoshi and South Korean actress Kim Tae-hee. This is his first regular role on a Japanese drama.[19]

In February 2013, it was announced that Taecyeon would form an on-screen couple with Taiwanese actress Emma Wu, in the Global Edition of the reality show We Got Married.[20] The same year, he made his film debut in romantic comedy Marriage Blue.[21] He composed two songs for the soundtrack of the film.[22]

In 2014, he starred in KBS' weekend drama Wonderful Days, playing a tough-fisted bodyguard.[23] The same year, he joined tvN's cooking variety show Three Meals a Day directed by Na PD.[24] He later rejoined for a second season in 2015.[25] Taecyeon was praised for his hardworking image and easygoing personality on the show.[26]

In 2015, Taecyeon was cast in KBS' political drama Assembly. He plays an aspiring police officer who studies at the library to pass his entrance exams by day and works as an official's chauffeur by night.[27]

In 2016, he starred in horror comedy Hey Ghost, Let's Fight with Kim So-hyun,[28] and featured in web-drama First Seven Kisses by Lotte Duty Free.[29]

In 2017, he starred in mystery thriller House of the Disappeared with veteran actress Kim Yunjin.[30] He then starred in OCN's thriler drama Save Me alongside Seo Ye-ji.[31]

In 2020, he is set to star in the mystery drama The Game: Towards Zero, reuniting with Lee Yeon-hee with whom he starred in the 2013 film Marriage Blue.[32] It is his first acting role since his military discharge.[33]

On December 9, 2010 a JYP Entertainment representative revealed that “Taecyeon would like to give up his American permanent residence visa and recently, on December 1, he received his official confirmation for his permanent residence cancellation.”[34]

Taecyeon had a physical examination for drafting but received a physical body status sufficient only for enlistment as public service personnel, due to his poor vision and a dislocated shoulder back in 2008. In 2012 and 2013 he underwent surgery to correct the disk as well as to remove pins in his upper arm from a serious break in 2013. He was cleared for active duty in December 2013 but delayed his enlistment due to busy workload.[35]

On September 4, 2017, Taecyeon enlisted as an active duty soldier and began his mandatory military service.[36][37] On October 18, he completed his basic military training and was placed at 9th Infantry Division in Gyeonggi Province as a military instruction assistant.[38]

In February 2018, Taecyeon participated in various 2018 Winter Olympics events as one of the volunteers under the command of the Ministry of National Defense (South Korea). He hosted many cultural shows and concerts, and performed as a member of 2PM at the Olympic Headliner Show.[39][40]

On June 20, 2018, the South Korean Prime Minister Lee Nak-yeon recognized and praised Taecyeon's efforts to enlist in active duty during his congratulatory speech at the 15th Exemplary Military Servicemen Awards, where Taecyeon was hosting.[41]

On October 1, 2018, Taecyeon led the future combat system demonstration in the 70th Armed Forces Day Celebration. The demonstration introduced the Warrior Platform program, which includes new and improved combat gear and equipment. One of the event officials stated, “Corporal Ok Taecyeon gave up his American residency; he set a great example, as he received surgery for the discs in his back and accepted active duty despite the fact that he had previously approved for alternative service. He's currently faithfully continuing his military duties. We actively recommended him to participate in the Armed Forces Day event as we believed it would be meaningful for him.”[42]

Moreover, Taecyeon ranked 1st on real time search engines as he also led the final salute to President Moon Jae-in.[43]

In February 2019, Ok received an early promotion as a Sergeant for his exceptional conduct while serving as a military instruction assistant at the 9th Armed Forces Division in Gyeonggi Province.[44]

Due to his superb records, exemplary character, and great performance, Ok was appointed as a 'Special Class Warrior' by his division commander, and was awarded as 'Model Soldier' by the Ministry of National Defense. He also earned the nickname "Captain Korea" from people online, because of his physique that mirrored the famous Marvel superhero, Captain America. The nickname has been used as headlines to describe the actor on many news portals and broadcasts. In one interview, Ok expressed the pressure of having the nickname, "It was a nickname that brought a lot of pressure but it also made me want to work that much harder. I'll continue to work hard to fit that nickname."[45][46][47][48]

Taecyeon finished his military service on May 16, 2019 and is set to return to the entertainment industry immediately.[45]

• Taecyeon Special: Winter Hitori (2017)

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Ok Taec-yeon.

• Ok Taec-yeon at IMDb
• Ok Taec-yeon at HanCinema