Sunye

Min Sun-ye (Korean: 민선예, born August 12, 1989), also known as Sunye or Sun (stylized as SunYe), is a South Korean missionary and former singer and actress (on hiatus). She is the former leader and main vocalist of the Wonder Girls. She quit her career on July 20, 2015, however, in September 2015 she stated that she's not retired and that she would like to perform with Wonder Girls someday.

Sunye was born on August 12, 1989, in Seoul, South Korea. She attended Korea Arts High School and Dongguk University. In 2001, Sunye was discovered by JYP Entertainment during Park Jin-young’s "99% Challenge" project, where she sang and danced. She then trained at JYP Entertainment until she debuted in the Wonder Girls in 2007. Sun was one of the longest serving trainees at JYP Entertainment, along with Jo Kwon of 2AM and Min of miss A.

Wonder Girls

In 2007, Sunye made her debut as the leader and main vocalist in the Wonder Girls, a girl group managed by JYP Entertainment, with their single "Irony." On January 26, 2013, JYP Entertainment confirmed that Sunye would stop her official promotions with the Wonder Girls just before marrying James Pak, her Korean-Canadian fiance. Following the news, the agency reassured fans that the group was not disbanding and that Sunye is not retiring her position as a member of the group regardless of her inactive status.

Singing career

Sunye (right) performing with her former bandmate Hyelim in 2012.

Sunye has contributed her vocals on the tracks of various Korean artists, including Mighty Mouth's "Energy" and Park Jin-young's "Afternoon Separation." She recorded the single "Maybe" for the soundtrack of the popular KBS Korean drama, Dream High. In November 2010, Sunye recorded "This Christmas" with her JYP labelmates as the title track for the debut of JYP Nation with a subsequent music video released on December 1, 2010.

In addition to recording collaborations, Sunye has also performed with other artists on stage, including "Stand Up for Love" with Davichi and Taeyeon on SBS Gayo Daejeon in 2008. In December 2008, she performed "Buttons" with Taeyeon, Gyuri, and Ga-in on KBS Music Bank. Sunye and her band mate Park Ye-eun collaborated with her Jo Kwon and Park Jin-young to perform "That's What Friends Are For" on the KBS program Yu Hee-Yeols' Sketchbook. On SBS Inkigayo's 500th Episode, Sunye and Jo Kwon sang the 2AM single "This Song" as a duet.

In December 2014, it was reported that Sunye released an indirect statement in a report by Joongang Ilbo‘s US branch at a non-profit church concert that she has officially retired from Wonder Girls and the Entertainment industry. This was dismissed by JYPE as false, but less than a year later JYP released an official statement confirming Sunye's departure from the group.

Along with the other Wonder Girls members, Sunye often makes charitable donations to various charities, hospitals, and orphanages around Korea. In September 2010, she made a visit to an elderly man who had secluded himself in the mountains after being a victim to many cases of fraud. According to the producer that followed her, "Sunye prepared clothes, shoes, a radio, food, and various other presents for the man. He hasn’t been able to wash in a while so there was a very bad stench coming from him but Sunye paid no attention to it and held his hands tightly, asking him to live a long life. She also prayed for his good health."

In May 2011, Sunye went on a week-long volunteer mission to Haiti where she cared for children in an orphanage and treated victims of cholera.

On October 16, 2012, Sunye was a guest speaker at the George Washington University Jack Morton Auditorium, where she presented a lecture about K-Pop, "An Idol Star’s Illusions and Responsibility." The Korean Cultural Center at the South Korean embassy organized and sponsored the event.

On March 18, 2014, Sunye announced she and her husband will leave for Haiti in July where they will live for 5 years to continue doing missionary work.

Sunye was raised by her grandparents because her mother died when she was very young and her father suffered from a health condition that kept him bedridden. In the fall of 2007, prior to the Wonder Girls' promotions for their single "Tell Me," Sunye's grandfather died. In October 2009, her father was rushed to the intensive care unit after his condition turned for the worse. She took the first flight from New York, where she resided at the time, to South Korea, skipping out on numerous promotional events to be with her father. On June 23, 2010, Sunye's father died due to a chronic illness he had been suffering from for over 20 years.

During an episode of SBS' Strong Heart that aired on November 22, 2011, Sunye announced that she was in a relationship with a Korean-Canadian boy she met in Haiti during a missionary trip. She had kept it a secret until Park Jin-young lifted their "no dating" ban in mid-November. Few details were revealed about him because Sunye admitted that he wasn't a celebrity and was currently living in Toronto, Canada. On November 26, 2012, JYP Entertainment announced that Sunye was going to marry her boyfriend of two years, James Park. The couple were married on January 26, 2013.

On April 4, 2013, Sunye announced through her personal Twitter account that she was expecting her first child with her husband. She gave birth to her first daughter, Eun-yoo (Hailey), on October 16, 2013. On September 9, 2015, news outlets reported that Sunye was expecting her second child with husband. On April 22, 2016, she gave birth to her second daughter, Ha-jin (Elisha).

Digital singles

Collaborations

Television

Music video appearances

Film

Concert participation

• 2010 Park Jin-young Bad Party – The Dancer (2010)