Eli Kim

In this Korean name, the family name is Kim.

Ellison Kyoung-jae Kim (born March 13, 1991),^[1] better known by his stage name Eli, is a Korean American singer, rapper and actor. He is a former member of South Korean boy band U-KISS. He was a rapper in the group and was one of the English-speaking members of U-KISS alongside former member Kevin Woo.^[1][2]

Eli
Eli with U-Kiss at the press conference for Dream Concert 2013
Born	Ellison Kyoung-jae Kim (1991-03-13) March 13, 1991 (age 31) Los Angeles, California, United States
Other names	Kim Koung-jae Eli Kim
Occupations	Singer rapper actor
Spouse	Ji Yeon-soo ​ ​ (m. 2014; sep. 2020)​
Children	Michael Min-soo Kim
Musical career
Genres	K-pop
Instrument(s)	Vocals
Years active	2008–2019
Labels	NH Media

Korean name
Hangul	김경재
Hanja	金炅才
Revised Romanization	Gim Gyeongjae
McCune–Reischauer	Kim Kyǒng-jae

Early life

Eli was born in Los Angeles, California to Korean parents.^{[citation needed]} He spent most of his years in Fredericksburg, Virginia.^{[citation needed]} He has a younger sister Minah^[3] and an older sister Hannah.^{[citation needed]} He attended Ni River Middle School and Riverbend High School in Virginia.^[4] After dropping out of high school, he went alone to Beijing, China at 15 to pursue his studies, and also learned Mandarin.^{[citation needed]} He trained in Taekwondo and Kung Fu for 12 years, opening an opportunity for him to be cast as an extra in a Chinese movie.^{[citation needed]} He is fluent in English, Korean and Mandarin.^[2][5]

Music career

U-Kiss

Main article: U-kiss

Eli is the fourth addition to the Korean boy band U-KISS, which was formed by NH Media Entertainment in 2008.^[6] They were launched in Power of Atamix in Japan alongside other Korean boy bands such as Paran.^[7] They also debuted in South Korea days later.

On April 27, 2011, Eli and Kevin went to Hong Kong for a special street date with their Hong Kong fans for their show Star Date with U-KISS in Hong Kong special. This was sponsored by Binggrae, which aims to connect the fans all over the world to Hallyu stars to encourage cultural exchanges. The special was aired through Arirang TV on May 3.^[8][9]

On May 16, 2019, NH Media announced that Eli’s contract with NH Media had expired and he had decided not to renew it along with other fellow U-KISS member Kiseop.^[10]

Other activities

Eli was one of the hosts for the variety show Raising Idol along with U-KISS member Shin Dongho, MBLAQ's Thunder and Shinee's Key.^[11] He appeared on MBC's We Are Dating on December 24, 2010 where he showed his Casanova type of being a man.^[12] He also hosted the segment "All About You" on Arirang TV's Pops in Seoul, along with fellow U-KISS members, Alexander and Kevin.^[2][13] He also acts as an MC in the show Fusion with Park Myung-soo under MBC which premiered on April 1.^[14]

In November 2012, Eli along with NS Yoon-G were chosen to host a new weekly English show, K-pop Tasty Road on Olive TV (and on Mnet in the United States and various other countries). The show gives K-pop fans a sense of where Hallyu celebrities eat, play, work, and shop. The first episode was aired on November 10.^[15]

Acting career

In January 2010, Eli and fellow member Kibum started their acting career in a Thai-Korean drama, Autumn Destiny,^[16] with Thai actor Mario Maurer. Eli and Kibum's voices were dubbed since they could not speak Thai.

In 2011, Eli and fellow members Dongho and Kiseop were cast in an MBC sitcom titled Real School.^[17] The trio acted in a 40-episode series, transforming into high school students who reside at an "English Village" in an attempt to face and crack their fear of speaking English.^[18][19]

In October 2014, Eli was cast as the male lead in a Chinese adaptation of the Korean drama Full House.^[5]

Personal life

On April 18, 2011, Eli was injured during a rehearsal.^[20] He fractured his right hand^[21] and underwent surgery.^[22] The hospital stated that it wouldn't be difficult for Eli to perform, and he managed to perform with a cast on his right arm.^[23]

On December 4, 2015, Eli announced via instagram that he had been married for over a year, since June 5, 2014, having dated his wife, who is a model 11 years his senior, for five years. It was also announced that they were expecting a child.^[24] His fellow members Soohyun and Kevin took to Twitter to comfort the fans about the surprising news of Eli's marriage news.^[25] On December 6, 2015, U-KISS' label NH Media released a statement to clear up some questions. His label said that Eli's marriage would not affect his promotions with U-KISS and that he would continue filming his Chinese drama and asked fans to refrain from leaving hate comments, as he would soon be a father.^{[26][unreliable source]} On June 8, 2016, Eli's son, Michael Min-soo Kim, was born.^[27]

On August 30, 2016, Eli revealed his wife, Ji Yeon-soo^{[28][29][unreliable source][30]} to the public on MBC Every1's Video Star. On January 4, 2017, Eli revealed his life as a husband and father by joining reality show, KBS's Mr. House Husband with his wife, Ji Yeon-soo and their son, Michael Min-soo Kim.^{[31][32][unreliable source]}

Eli announced his separation from Ji in November 2020, with Michael remaining with his mother while he is staying in the United States.^[33]

Filmography

Television drama

Year	Title	Role	Notes
2010	Autumn's Destiny		Thai-Korean drama
2011	Real School!	Superior elite	Sitcom (episode 12)
TBA	Full House		Chinese drama

TV shows

Year	Title
2009	All About U-KISS You Know U-KISS
2010	Midnight Idols With U-KISS U-KISS Vampire Chef's Kiss Raising Idol (Dongho's English TA)
2011	Made in BS Japan
2012	K-pop Tasty Road
2017	Mr. House Husband
2022	We Got Divorced 2^[34]

References

1. (in Japanese). Archived from the original on June 14, 2012.
2. Hicap, Jonathan M. (May 3, 2010). . The Korea Times. Archived from the original on May 29, 2015. Retrieved May 28, 2015.
3. https://www.twitter.com/u_kisseli/status/130812569345720320^{[permanent dead link]}
4. . Koreaembassyusa.org. Archived from the original on April 26, 2012. Retrieved March 26, 2012.
5. "S. Korea, China to co-produce Chinese version of 'Full House'". Yonhap News Agency. October 20, 2014. Retrieved May 28, 2015.
6. U-KISS – boyband – kpop. Jpopasia.com. Retrieved on March 26, 2012.
7. (2 Years of Kisses) 080815 (Power of ATAMIX) U-Kiss – Not Young (Kibum Fancam). casttv.com video
8. Retrieved July 2, 2011. Allkpop.com (April 27, 2011). Retrieved on March 26, 2012.
9. U-KISS’ Eli & Kevin reveal their ideal woman's traits. Allkpop.com (February 11, 2011). Retrieved on March 26, 2012.
10. [1]. Soompi.com (May 15, 2019). Retrieved on March 31, 2021.
11. Dongho, Eli, Thunder and Key to host a new variety show. Allkpop.com (March 2, 2010). Retrieved on March 26, 2012.
12. U-KISS's Eli shows his “Cassanova” side on “We Are Dating”. Allkpop.com (December 23, 2010). Retrieved on March 26, 2012.
13. Retrieved July 2, 2011. Arirang.co.kr. Retrieved on March 26, 2012.
14. Retrieved July 2, 2011. U-KISS Eli to host Fusion July 1, 2011, at the Wayback Machine. Dazebaby.webs.com. Retrieved on March 26, 2012.
15. Kim, Erika (November 9, 2012). . enewsWorld. CJ E&M. Archived from the original on May 29, 2015. Retrieved May 28, 2015.
16. "U-Kiss Members to Star in Thai Drama". KBS World Radio. January 11, 2010. Retrieved May 28, 2015.
17. Teaser for “Real School” starring U-Kiss's Dongho, Eli, and Ki Sub revealed January 10, 2011, at the Wayback Machine. Allkpop.com (January 5, 2011). Retrieved on March 26, 2012.
18. U-Kiss's Dongho, Eli, and Ki Sub to act in new sitcom, ‘Real School’. Allkpop.com. Retrieved on March 26, 2012.
19. Viewers anticipate “Real School” in MBC's new 2011 lineup. Allkpop.com. Retrieved on March 26, 2012.
20. U-Kiss' Eli Breaks Hand During Dance Practice September 30, 2011, at the Wayback Machine. Soompi.com (October 18, 2010). Retrieved on March 26, 2012.
21. [Coffee Break News] U-Kiss Eli rushed to ER for arm injury! – Korean Updates October 22, 2010, at the Wayback Machine. Koreanupdates.com (October 18, 2010). Retrieved on March 26, 2012.
22. Eli of U-Kiss to receive surgery for his fractured arm. Allkpop.com (October 19, 2010). Retrieved on March 26, 2012.
23. Injured U-KISS members show fighting spirit on stage. Allkpop.com (October 23, 2010). Retrieved on March 26, 2012.
24. "Eli explains why he kept his marriage a secret". SBS Pop Asia.
25. "U-KISS' Soohyun comforts fans after Eli's marriage news". All Kpop.
26. jennywill (December 6, 2015). "Eli's label reveals his wife is 11 years older + U-KISS promotions will not be affected". allkpop. Retrieved January 18, 2020.
27. "U-KISS' Eli becomes first-time father with the birth of a baby boy". Yibada. June 8, 2016.
28. "U-KISS's Eli Shares Photos of Wife and Baby Son, Tells Their Love Story on "Video Star"".
29. elliefilet (August 30, 2016). "U-KISS Eli's wife revealed on 'Video Star'". allkpop. Retrieved January 18, 2020.
30. yckim124 (April 12, 2017). "U-KISS Eli's wife Ji Yeon Soo returns to work as a racing model after 2 years of break". allkpop. Retrieved January 18, 2020.
31. "UKISS's Eli Reveals Glimpse at His Married Life for the First Time on Reality Show".
32. yckim124 (January 3, 2017). "U-KISS' Eli reveals his life as a husband and father on 'Mr. House Husband'!". allkpop. Retrieved January 18, 2020.
33. Hicap, Jonathan (November 27, 2020). "Ex-U-KISS member Eli, wife Ji Yeon-soo divorce". Manila Bulletin. Retrieved November 29, 2020.
34. Kang Seon-ae (March 14, 2022). "쇼윈도 부부였다" 일라이X지연수, 이혼 2년 만에 재회…끝내 오열" [We were a couple at the show window" Eli X Ji Yeon-soo, reunited after 2 years of divorce... finally cry] (in Korean). SBS. Retrieved March 14, 2022 – via Naver.