Actor

2001-01-09 · Incheon · Male

5 series in the catalog

DKZ (Korean: 디케이지; formerly Dongkiz; 동키즈, stylized in all caps) was a South Korean boy band formed and managed by Dongyo Entertainment. The group consists of five members: Sehyeon, Mingyu, Jaechan, Juone, and Giseok. Wondae, Munik, and Kyoungyoon, left the group in March 2022, February and August 2023, respectively. They debuted on April 24, 2019, with the single album Dongkiz on the Block, and concluded their activities on May 31, 2026.

History

2018: Predebut

The members of Dongkiz—Wondae, Kyoungyoon, Munik, Jaechan, and Juone—were trainees between one and three years. The group was modeled after New Kids on the Block.

Dongkiz initiated promotional activities in August 2018, which included uploading dance covers onto Dongyo Entertainment's YouTube channel and busking. They also performed at the HEC Korea Concert in Thailand and attended the 2018 Joox Thailand Music Awards.

On November 21, 2018, the group released a Minneapolis sound-based pre-debut single entitled "Nom".

2019–2021: Career beginnings

Originally slated for a February 2019 debut, Dongkiz released their debut single album Dongkiz on the Block on April 24. They intended to promote a different song, but ultimately decided on "Nom" to serve as the lead single. On July 22, the group released their second single album BlockBuster. The title track samples the theme song of the 1984 film Ghostbusters. Dedicated to their fans, they released the dance-pop track "Dreaming You" as a digital single on September 11. After sustaining a leg injury in midst of practice, in addition to ongoing trauma from a back injury endured prior to his debut, Kyoungyoon paused his activities to recuperate and the group continued promoting as four. Dongkiz released their first mini-album Dongky Town and accompanying disco-EDM single "Fever" on November 6. They went on to win the "Focus Award (Music)" at the 2019 Asia Artist Awards held at Mỹ Đình National Stadium in Hanoi, Vietnam. The group was also invited to perform by the Korean Cultural Center in Turkey on December that year.

On January 2, 2020, Dongkiz followed up with the funk single "All I Need Is You", marking Kyoungyoon's return to the group. The group released the old-school hip hop-dance single "Lupin" on March 15. Dongkiz's third single album Ego was released on August 19, 2020. On December 30, the group released "It's All Right" on their official social networking sites. The song was their first year-end project song which was written, composed, and arranged by all five members of the group.

Dongkiz's fourth single album Youniverse was released on April 15, 2021. It was then followed by the release of their fifth single album Chase Episode 1. Ggum with "Crazy Night" as its single on July 1. In August that year, Dongkiz was again invited for a K-pop concert in Ankara, Turkey hosted by the Korean Cultural Center, and Dongyo Entertainment announced that Wondae and Munik will be taking hiatus from group activities. On December 30, 2021, Kyoungyoon, Jaechan, and Juone released their second year-end project song, "2021 (Memories)".

2022: Rebranding and rising popularity

On March 18, Dongyo Entertainment announced Wondae's departure from the group due to ongoing health issues while Munik will remain with the group but stay on indefinite hiatus due to medical issues. The agency also revealed its plans to rebrand Dongkiz by changing its name to DKZ and adding three new members to its lineup. On March 28, Sehyeon, Mingyu, and Giseok were introduced as new members of the group. The group released their sixth single album Chase Episode 2. Maum with "Cupid" as its single on April 12. A limited-edition acoustic version of the same album was released on May 26, which was sold out minutes after the server was restored when it initially crashed during release.

The group attended and performed at the K-Expo 2022 in Sao Paulo, Brazil. Hosted by the Korean Cultural Center in Brazil, DKZ was the only K-pop idol group invited to perform at the country's largest Hallyu cultural festival held on July 9 and 10.

On September 2, they were recognized and given the "Male Idol - Rising Star Award" in the 2022 Brand of the Year Awards organized by the Korea Consumer Forum.

On October 6, the group released their seventh single album and the last one for their Chase Album Trilogy - Chase Episode 3. Beum with "Uh-Heung" as its single. While they were promoting for their comeback, DKZ performed in the Ariake Arena in Tokyo, Japan, on October 15 for KCON 2022 as the first gen winner of MNET Plus' Road to Max: Road to KCON. On October 18, DKZ gained their first music show award during promotions for "Uh-Heung" on the SBS M's The Show.

In November, DKZ performed at the 2022 Genie Music Awards and was chosen to be the recipient of the "Next Generation Award". Prior to that, the group was announced as the honorary winner of the final episode of MNET Plus' Road to Max: Road to MAMA Awards. As its winning prize, on November 29, the group attended and performed at the 2022 MAMA Awards held at the Kyocera Dome in Osaka, Japan.

Before the year 2022 ended, the group released their self-produced digital album, DKZ Year End Project Song 'It's All Right Part.3' with their single "2022 (Forever)" on December 30.

2023: First fan-con and members' departure

The group held its first live fan concert since their debut Welcome to DTU (Dongky Town University) on January 14 and 15, 2023 in SK Olympic Handball Gymnasium. The 2-day concert was also simultaneously broadcast live for a fee through an online platform.

On February 28, Dongyo Entertainment announced the departure of Munik from the group. In addition, on April 19, it was announced that Kyoungyoon would temporarily suspend his activities with the group for medical issues. On August 7, the agency announced the departure of Kyoungyoon from the group and his military enlistment.

In December, the group released two digital singles. "Daymoon" was released on December 5 and "2023 (Friends)" on December 30.

2024–2026: Subsequent releases and disbandment

In March 2024, Dongyo Entertainment announced that DKZ will release their second mini album Reboot, early in April, coinciding with their fifth anniversary in the industry. DKZ officially returned as a complete five-member group following a lineup reshuffle on April 12. The group held its showcase at Ilchi Art Hall in Seoul, where DKZ presented its lead single, "Like A Movie". Immediately after its release, the EP topped the iTunes Top Album Chart in Taiwan and reached the top ten in Thailand and Hong Kong. On October 13, the group was invited to perform at the KDF Concert during the 2024 Korea Drama Festival, where Jaechan won an award at the main event held earlier. Before 2024 ended, DKZ was honored with the "K-pop Singer Award" at the 32nd Korea Culture and Entertainment Awards held on December 10.

On October 31, 2025, DKZ released their third mini album Tasty. The EP consists of six songs with "Replay My Anthem" as its title track.

In 2026, the group held its second fan concert The Dinner at the ECC Samsung Hall of Ewha Womans University in Seoul on April 11-12, followed by a performance in Taipei, Taiwan, on May 30. On April 15, Dongyo Entertainment announced that DKZ would disband. After discussions between the agency and the members, it was decided that the group will conclude all activities on May 31. Starting in June 2026, the members will pursue individual projects. Jaechan and Juone have renewed their contracts with Dongyo, while Sehyeon, Mingyu, and Giseok will also remain with the agency as individual artists.

Members

Sehyeon (세현)

Mingyu (민규)

Jaechan (재찬) – vocals, rap

Juone (종형) – leader, vocals

Giseok (기석)

Wondae (원대) – leader, vocals, rap

Munik (문익) – vocals

Kyoungyoon (경윤) – vocals

Sub-units

Dongkiz I:Kan

On July 7, 2020, members Munik and Jaechan formed the group's first sub-unit called Dongkiz I:Kan (Korean: 동키즈 아이캔; or simply I:Kan, stylized in all…