I. Introduction
Min Sunye (born August 12, 1989), known professionally as Sunye or Sun, is a South Korean singer, actress and missionary. She is the former leader and main vocalist of the K-pop group Wonder Girls, a position she maintained from Predebut activities in 2006- until 2014.
II. Career
III. Wonder Girls
In 2006, Sunye was revealed as the 1st member of Wonder Girls as the leader and main vocalist. The group, managed by JYP Entertainment, released their debut single, "Irony," in 2007. On January 26, 2013, JYP Entertainment confirmed that Sunye would stop her official promotions with the Wonder Girls just before marrying James Park, her Korean-Canadian fiancé. Following the news, the agency reassured fans that the group was not disbanding and that Sunye was not retiring her position as a member of the group regardless of her inactive status.
IIII. Solo Work
The singer has contributed her vocals on the tracks of various artists, such as 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 of Girls' Generation, Gyuri of Kara, and Gain of Brown Eyed Girls on KBS Music Bank. Sunye and her bandmate Park Yeeun collaborated with 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, Sunye stated in an interview with Joongang Ilbo's US branch at a non-profit church concert that she had officially retired from Wonder Girls and the entertainment industry for the time being. This was dismissed and profusely rebuttled by JYPE as false, but less than a year later JYP released an official statement confirming Sunye's departure from the group.
On August 8, 2018, it was announced that Sunye had signed with Polaris Entertainment and would be making her return to the entertainment industry after her previous retirement
IIIII. Philanthropy
Along with the other Wonder Girls members, Sunye often makes charitable donations to various charities, hospitals, and orphanages around Korea.[18] 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 George Washington University, 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 would leave for Haiti in July, where they would live for five years to continue doing missionary work. On January 28, 2018, it was revealed that Sunye had left Haiti after only two and a half years due to less-than-favorable conditions of raising a child, such as lack of clean water, extreme temperatures, and public safety concerns.
III. Solo Discography
IIII. Digital Singles
[2011.01.10] Dream High OST Part.2 (드림하이)
[2012.04.16] Feast of the Gods OST Part.3 (신들의 만찬)
[2012.10.08] Ohlala Couple OST Part.1 (울랄라부부)
IIIII. Collaborations/Other
[2007.07.09] Han Sung Byul Gok OST (#1 Pyeonghaengseon) (Feat. J.Y. Park "Asian Soul")
[2007.08.27] 8eight - The First (#9 Gasabogi Sai Feat. Wonder Girls & Pdogg)
[2007.11.16] Park Jin Young - Back To Stage (#12 Daenaje Han Ibyeor (Feat. Sun Ye (Wonder Girls)))
[2008.06.16] Mighty Mouth - Energy (#2 Energy (Feat. Sun Ye))
