SEVENTEEN Members Had The Biggest-Selling Global Album of 2023 —An Introduction To The Record-Breaking K-Pop Group

Who's in SEVENTEEN's units?

Who’s in SEVENTEEN’s units? Though the group has thirteen members, the members are split into different units: the hip-hop team, vocal team, and performance team. The hip-hop team is comprised of S. Coups, Wonwoo, Mingyu, and Vernon. The vocal team is comprised of Woozi, Jeonghan, Joshua, DK, and Seungkwan. Lastly, the performance team consists of Hoshi, Jun, The8, and Dino. S. Coups, Woozi and Hoshi serve as the leaders of each unit, with S. Coups serving as the overall leader of Seventeen as a whole.

Hip-Hop Unit

• S. Coups – Leader
• Wonwoo
• Mingyu
• Vernon

Performance Unit

• Hoshi – Leader
• Jun
• The8
• Dino

Vocal Unit

• Woozi – Leader
• Jeonghan
• Joshua
• DK

SEVENTEEN has 3 Unit Leaders

Seventeen’s main leader is S. Coups. S. Coups also serves as the leader of the hip-hop unit. Woozi serves as the leader of the vocal unit, while Hoshi serves as the leader of the performance unit. The Seventeen leaders also perform as a subunit and they have two songs together “Change Up” and “Cheers.”

S.Coups

Birthday: August 8, 1995

Positions: Leader, Hip-Hop Unit Leader, Rapper, Sub-Vocalist

S.Coups is a rapper, sub-vocalist and the leader of Seventeen as well as the leader of the hip-hop unit. His real name is Choi Seung-cheol and he was born on August 8, 1995, and raised in Daegu, South Korea. He’s also the oldest of the group, serving as a mentor and hyung (older brother) to all the members. At the start of most Seventeen music videos, you can see him starting up the camera and jumping into the arms of the members who either catch him or jokingly let their arms down and let him fall. He was discovered on the street by a Pledis casting agent and was a trainee for six years. He was originally going to debut in the fellow Pledis boy group N’UEST, but along with Woozi was lined up for Seventeen instead. Since the group’s debut, S. Coups has openly shown his affection for the group and in an interview with Soompi, he reflected back on the times they had together: “It’s hard to work together if we don’t treasure each other and aren’t considerate of one another.”

Jeonghan

Birthday: October 4, 1995

Positions: Main Vocalist, Vocal Unit Member

Jeonghan is one of the main vocalists in the vocal unit of Seventeen. His real name is Yoon Jeonghan and was born on October 4, 1995 in Seoul, South Korea. He initially didn’t want to be a pop idol, but a musical actor instead and was in school to become one. He was street-casted by a Pledis agent and joined the company in 2013, where he spent two years as a trainee. He’s very much known for his wits, caring attitude and his sweet angelic voice.

Joshua

Birthday: December 30, 1995

Positions: Main Vocalist, Vocal Unit Member

Joshua is another main vocalist in the vocal unit of Seventeen. His real name is Joshua Hong and he was born on December 30, 1995, in Los Angeles, California, and was raised there, too. He was known in school for his musical talent and while performing at an event in Koreatown, LA. A Pledis agent spotted him and his immense talent and asked him to audition. He was accepted and moved overseas to South Korea where he became a Pledis trainee for two years. Since then, his vocals have had fans swooning all over the globe. His signature song is a cover of “Sunday Morning” by Maroon 5 and he’ll sing it whenever he gets the chance.

Jun

Birthday: June 10, 1996

Positions: Main Dancer, Sub-Vocalist, Performance Unit Member

Jun is a main dancer and sub-vocalist in the performance unit of Seventeen. His real name is Wen Junhui (Moon Junhwi in Korean) and he was born on June 10, 1996 in Shenzen, China. He was a child actor back in his home country and starred in many Chinese dramas. He auditioned for Pledis in 2013 and was accepted as a trainee. Jun is fluent in Mandarin, Korean and Cantonese. Growing up, he practiced Wushu which helped garner his fluid dancing abilities. Jun released his first solo single in 2018 with “Can You Sit By My Side (能不能坐在我身边),” and released a single for the Korean drama The King: Eternal Monarch with the song “Dream.” In 2022, he released “Limbo” and in 2023, he released “Psycho.”

Hoshi

Birthday: June 15, 1996

Positions: Performance Unit Leader, Main Dancer, Sub-Vocalist

Hoshi is a sub-vocalist, dancer and leader of the performance unit in Seventeen. His real name is Kwon Soon Young and he was born on June 15, 1996 in Namyangju, Gyeonggi Province, South Korea. Known for being the self-proclaimed tiger of the group, his signature catchphrase is ” 호랑해 (Horanghae)” which is a portmanteau of “호랑이 (horangi)” which means tiger and “사랑해 (saranghae)” which means “I love you.” So, the literal meaning is “I tiger you,” and he compliments the phrase with a claw-like gesture to signify that he is a tiger. He joined Pledis in 2011 after being spotted at a dancing competition in his home province with his dance group and trained for four years. Hoshi choreographs nearly all of Seventeen’s performances. He’s also a part of the sub-unit BOOSEOKSOON which comprises of Seventeen members Seungkwan and DK. He released his first solo single “Spider” in 2021.

Wonwoo

Birthday: July 17, 1996

Positions: Rapper, Sub-Vocalist, Hip-Hop Unit Member

Wonwoo is a rapper and sub-vocalist in the hip-hop unit of Seventeen. His real name is Jeon Wonwoo and he was born on July 17, 1996, in Changwon, Gyeongsangnam-do, South Korea. He auditioned for Pledis since he wanted to get experience for auditions, and behold, he was immediately accepted. Wonwoo is known for wearing glasses all the time in the group since he is very nearsighted. He’s known to be the gamer of the group—hosting his own gaming live stream series on Weverse called ‘Gam3 Bo1.’ Wonwoo trained to be a vocalist but pivoted to rap where he proved to be super talented. The Seventeen members agreed that Wonwoo was the smartest in the group in an episode of Seventeen Club. Along with fellow hip-hop unit member Mingyu, he released the single “Bittersweet” which features Lee Hi in 2021.

Woozi

Birthday: November 22, 1996

Positions: Vocal Unit Leader, Producer, Lead Vocalist

Woozi is a lead vocalist, producer, and leader of the vocal unit of Seventeen. His real name is Lee Jihoon and he was born on November 22, 1996, in Busan, South Korea. He, along with Pledis producer BUMZU, produces and composes a majority of Seventeen’s songs. Woozi grew up around classical music and played instruments such as clarinet and band instruments. He can basically play any instrument, and when he auditioned, his singing and instrumental skills absolutely wowed Pledis. He trained for a total of five years. He’s mostly seen in his studio Universe Factory, at the gym, or watching anime. He released his English solo single as part of The Thirteen Tapes, “Ruby,” in 2022.

The8

Birthday: November 7, 1997

Positions: Lead Dancer, Sub-Vocalist, Performance Unit Member

The8 is a lead dancer and sub-vocalist in the performance unit of Seventeen. His real name is Xu Minghao (Seo Myungho in Korean) and he was born on November 7, 1997 in Haicheng, Anshan, China. The8 trained in B-Boying and breakdancing for six years prior to his debut and went to Beijing Contemporary Music Academy where he was scouted by a Pledis employee. His name derives from the infinity symbol when the number eight is placed sideways. He trained for less than two years, which is the shortest amount of time a Seventeen member trained. The8 has a very calming presence and enjoys having tea in times when he is stressed. He has released four solo singles, “Dreams Come True” in 2019, “Falling Down” in 2020, “Side By Side” in 2021 and “Hai Cheng” in 2022.

DK

Birthday: February 18, 1997

Positions: Lead Vocalist, Vocal Unit Member

DK, or Dokyeom, is a lead vocalist in the vocal unit of Seventeen. His real name is Lee Seokmin and he was born on February 18, 1997, in Suji-gu, Yongin-si, Gyeonggi-do, South Korea. DK auditioned for Pledis through a mutual contact and his outstanding singing skills ultimately got him a place as a trainee. He trained for a total of three years. He constantly introduces himself as “Pizza Boy” for his love for the dish and is known for his very powerful vocals. Along with Seungkwan and Hoshi, he’s part of the subunit BOOSEOKSOON. He also played King Arthur in the stage musical “Xcalibur,” and sang for multiple Korean Drama OSTs like “Missed Connections” for Tempted and “Go!” for Twenty-Five Twenty-One.

Mingyu

Birthday: April 6, 1997

Positions: Lead Rapper, Sub-Vocalist, Hip-Hop Unit Member

Mingyu is a lead rapper and sub-vocalist in the hip-hop group Seventeen. His real name is Kim Mingyu and he was born on April 6, 1997, in Anyang-si, Gyeonggi-do, South Korea. He was discovered on the way home from school for his visuals and was asked to audition. He trained for four years. While he’s the tallest member of the group (He’s 187 cm or 6’1!), he’s very kind-hearted and cleans up after the group. He was the MC host for SBS’s music show Inkigayo from 2018 to 2019. He released the song, “Bittersweet” with Wonwoo in 2021 which also featured Lee Hi.

Seungkwan

Birthday: January 18, 1998

Positions: Lead Vocalist, Vocal Unit Member

Seungkwan is a lead vocalist in the vocal unit of Seventeen. His real name is Boo Seungkwan and he was born on January 18, 1998, on Jeju Island, South Korea. He was discovered through a singing video that his teacher posted online and a Pledis employee reached out to him for an offer. He trained for three years. Seungkwan is often known as MC Boo or DJ Boo due to his wide range of variety show appearances, and his hosting skills and mood-making skills are unmatched. Along with Hoshi and DK, he is part of the subunit BOOSEOKSOON. He’s released three solo singles for Korean Drama OSTs: “Kind of Love” for Mother, “Go” for Record of Youth, “The Reason” for Lovestruck in the City and “Pit a Pat” for Love in the City. 

Vernon

Birthday: February 18, 1998

Positions: Lead Rapper, Sub-Vocalist, Hip-Hop Unit Member

Vernon is a lead rapper and sub-vocalist in the hip-hop unit of Seventeen. His real name is Chwe Hansol and he was born on February 18, 1998, in New York City. He’s half-American and moved to Korea when he was five years old. His stage name is derived from his mother’s maiden name, and he was scouted in a subway station on the way home with some friends. He trained for three years and dropped out of middle school to focus on training. Though he mainly trained as a vocalist, he showed great potential to be a rapper. He mainly writes the raps for Seventeen’s songs, and he was featured in an A.G. Cook remix of Charli XCX’s “Beg For You,” Omega Sapien’s “Wrecker,” and “Miss You” by (sic)boy. He also has a solo mixtape as part of The Thirteen Tapes called Black Eye, released on December 23, 2022.

Dino

Birthday: February 11, 1999

Positions: Main Dancer, Sub-Vocalist, Performance Unit Member

Dino is a main dancer and sub-vocalist in the performance unit of Seventeen. His real name is Lee Chan and he was born on February 11, 1999, in Iksan, Jeollabuk-do, South Korea. He is the “maknae” (youngest) of the group and is very much doted on by the older members. Dino was raised around dance, as his mother and father were performers. He auditioned in 2012 and was a trainee for three years. Being the master of dance and song, he writes a lot of songs on Seventeen’s albums and he has his own choreography series called Dino’s Danceology. He released his solo song “Wait” in November 2023.

Seventeen's Discography

What are Seventeen’s albums? Seventeen has 12 extended plays (EPs) and four studio albums. Seventeen’s debut EP 17 Carat was released on May 29, 2015. Their latest album 17 Is Right Here is an anthology album celebrating 9 years of their music and was released on April 29, 2024.

SEVENTEEN EPs 

• 17 Carat (Released May 29, 2015)
• Boys Be (Released September 10, 2015)
• Going Seventeen (Released December 5, 2016)
• Al1 (Released May 22, 2017)
• You Make My Day (Released July 16, 2018)
• You Made My Dawn (Released January 19, 2019)
• Heng:garæ (Released June 22, 2020)
• Semicolon (Released October 19, 2020)
• Your Choice (Released June 18, 2021)
• Attaca (Released October 22, 2021)

Seventeen Japanese EPs 

• We Make You (Released May 30, 2018)
• 24H (Released September 30, 2020)
• Dream (Released November 9, 2022)

Seventeen studio albums

• Love & Letter (Released April 25, 2016)
• Teen, Age (Released November 6, 2017)
• An Ode (Released September 16, 2019)
• Face The Sun (Released May 27, 2022)
• 17 Is Right Here (Released April 29, 2024)