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Jaemin of NCT is a multitalented K-pop star and accomplished actor, who still loves doing charity work for those in need.

Jaemin of NCT: talented and a rising star, K-pop idol and actor keeps his feet on the ground with charity work and care for others

  • Despite a passion for music, with Justin Bieber his inspiration, Jaemin’s first career choice was to become a doctor, because of his love for helping others
  • Now a multitalented member of NCT and an award-winning actor, he still does volunteer work and helps worthy causes
Jeff Benjamin

South Korean super label SM Entertainment formally introduced NCT 2020 this month. The large-scale music project brings together the 23 members of SM’s ambitious K-pop boy band venture NCT for a series of new songs and videos.

While it’s already tough to stand out in the South Korean music industry, it’s even harder when you’re standing alongside 22 other idols. Here’s how NCT Dream member Jaemin has matched his peers and set himself up for an exciting, multifaceted career.

His early life

Na Jae-min was born in the tourist-friendly South Korean city of Jeonju in August 2000. He grew up in the country’s capital, Seoul, with a love of dance, physical education and the piano.

Born in Jeonju, Jaemin grew up in Seoul, where he a nurtured a love for dance, physical education and playing the piano.

Despite a passion for music and being inspired by Justin Bieber, Jaemin’s first dream was to become a doctor, fuelled by his love of helping others. The future star was even cast by SM Entertainment while he was collecting garbage and handing out posters at a volunteer event.

Jaemin studied applied music at the Seoul School for Performing Arts, where he learned ways to connect with potential fans ahead of his K-pop debut.

Jaemin got his big break when he became the seventh member of NCT Dream.

He attracted a following as one of the “SM Rookies” – a group of promising stars training at SM Entertainment. Meanwhile, he appeared in the reality show Exo 90:2014, hosted by K-pop superstars Exo, performed on different tours for SM artists and was a cast member of a South Korean version of The Mickey Mouse Club, where he and several other rookies were “mouseketeers”.

His role in NCT Dream

Jaemin was introduced as the seventh member of NCT Dream, a subgroup of SM Entertainment’s NCT project, which has an unlimited number of members split into various units. NCT Dream was the third group unveiled and originally conceived to feature only members in their teens.
The singer officially debuted in the K-pop world via NCT Dream’s first single, Chewing Gum, in 2016, alongside members Mark, Jeno, Renjun, Haechan, Chenle and Jisung.

In the group, Jaemin contributes in all areas including dance, rapping and vocals, and stands out for his striking good looks.

Since 2018, Jaemin has regularly contributed lyrics to NCT Dream tracks, and showed his range in co-writing 2018’s snappy hip-hop track Dear Dream as well as acoustic tracks such as Puzzle Piece in 2020.

His solo career

Outside music, Jaemin has shown his acting skills in several TV shows. In 2018, he joined the cast of an educational show called My English Puberty 100 Hours where celebrities studied English intensively for seven hours every day for two weeks before being sent abroad to test their skills in the real world.

By 2019, Jaemin began formally acting in web-based Korean drama How to Hate You. He took on a character with multiple personas and emotions. Playing the multifaceted character helped him win the best actor prize at the 2020 Seoul Webfest Awards and set in motion a promising acting career.

His image

Jaemin’s childhood love of volunteering and helping others has continued in his professional life and has become a core part of his image.

Fans of NCT member Jaehyun attack The Straits Times over damaging story

He has taken part in several important international events with the United Nations’ Children’s Fund (Unicef). In 2018, he travelled to Vietnam for Unicef’s World Children’s Day celebration to combat school violence.

The following year, Jaemin acted as a youth representative for a Unicef South Korea event, meeting social justice figures and Queen Mathilde of Belgium.

Alongside some of his NCT Dream members, Jaemin has represented the K-pop industry at different goodwill events, such as 2019’s K-Wave & Halal Show in Malaysia alongside South Korean president Moon Jae-in. He visited children living in slums in Indonesia with hunger-focused Korean charity Good Neighbours.

Unicef is just one of the worthy causes that Jaemin works tirelessly for.

In his own words

Jaemin’s streamlined focus has led him to success in various areas, but the burgeoning star has opened up about the less glamorous aspects of success.

“After my classes at school were over, I had to go straight to the practice room,” he shared during an episode of My English Puberty 100 Hours. “So I wasn’t able to make friends then. I think it’s true when people say that your middle and high school friends are friends for life. I think that’s why I don’t have friends right now.

“To be honest, I am a bit regretful about that … it’s hard to enjoy both [celebrity life and school life]. If I were to choose one, I would choose this career because being a singer was more important.”

Still, Jaemin has always stayed positive. He told Arena Homme+ magazine in 2020 that “my dream is that there will be even more fans who love us. To achieve that, we have to promote even harder.”

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