K-Pop Prodigy Jeong Dong-won Opens Up About Music, Dreams, and Growing Pains
Jeong Dong-won, one of Korea’s most promising teenage singers, recently captured viewers’ hearts with his wit and charm during an appearance on the web variety show Not Official, featured via the YouTube series Not Official.
Sitting down with guest host Lee Dae-hwi of Wanna One, Jeong disclosed that he is currently 19 years old, only nine months away from adulthood. Reflecting back on their first encounter during Dae-hwi’s Wanna One days, he marveled at the passing of time and the growth they’ve both experienced since then.
Jeong spoke fondly of building a connection with Dae-hwi while promoting under his sub-character JD1. “I grew up watching Wanna One before I debuted as a singer, so he always felt like a senior I respected,” Jeong mentioned.
As they enjoyed a bowl of ramen together, Jeong introduced his full-length album released this March, “Gift of the Tall One.” The title track, “Hung!” features rapper Kim Ha-on, a collaboration that started through a direct message on social media. “From the beginning, I envisioned a rap on this track and immediately thought of Kim Ha-on, whom I’ve admired since competition shows,” he shared.
Currently on tour with his national concert series Jeong Dong-won’s Journey, the artist explained, “Each set includes 26 songs. My throat gets sore, but my heart is full.” He confidently added, “People may expect classic ballads from me, but once they see the show, they’ll understand what makes Jeong Dong-won different.”
Jeong also revealed his participation in the JYP challenge for Park Jin-young’s “Easy Lover.” “My agency pitched it, and since I’m a fan, I agreed immediately. I sang the full version twice,” he said. “He even told me to reach out anytime if I needed to talk about this industry life.”
Despite his growing fame, Jeong remains grounded, often visiting karaoke booths with friends to sing BIGBANG’s “LAST DANCE.” While speaking to his idol and Seoul School of Performing Arts High School senior, Lee Dae-hwi, he invited him to attend his graduation ceremony. “It would mean so much to have a senior from both school and the entertainment world attend,” he smiled.
As he nears adulthood, Jeong expressed plans to study acting or musical theater in college. “After focusing on music at Seonhwa Arts Middle School and Seoul School of Performing Arts High School, I want to try new things,” he explained.
The young artist has already taken on acting roles in the film New Normal and K-drama No Such Zil Pil-su, and now hopes to explore noir genres. Wrapping up the interview with a challenge to create a trot-style meme, Jeong performed Lee Chan-won’s “Stay Strong,” dedicating the special live to his fan club, “Total Mobilization of the Universe.”
Up next, Jeong will connect with fans on his national concert tour, stopping in major cities including Daegu (May 3–4), Seongnam (May 10–11), Suwon (May 24–25), and Daejeon (May 31–June 1).
