Ong Seong-wu
Ong Seong-wu (Hangul: 옹성우, born August 25, 1995) is a South Korean singer and actor. He is known for his participation in the survival reality show Produce 101 Season 2, where he finished in fifth place, and is a former member of the show's derivative boy group Wanna One. Following Wanna One's disbandment, Ong made his acting debut with cast At Eighteen (2019). He also established his career as a solo artist with the release of his first extended play, Layers, on March 25, 2020. Early life Ong Seong-wu was born in Incheon, South Korea. He is the youngest of two children, with one older sister. He attended Guwol Middle School, followed by Hanlim Multi Art School, graduating in 2014. He graduated from Dong Seoul University as dance and acting major. Ong also danced professionally as part of several street and B-boy dance teams during this period. Ong was encouraged by his mother to pick up a musical instrument and started playing the drums after his sister began learning the piano. While playing the drums at a band contest in 2008, Ong was scouted as a trainee by the now-defunct entertainment company Lion Media. However, internal troubles with the company and its eventual closure lead to the delay of his debut, and contractual issues prevented him from signing with other companies for a period of time. In August 2016, he signed as an acting trainee with his current company Fantagio at the recommendation of one of his university professors. Career Pre-debut: Produce 101 Despite being an acting trainee, Ong was sent as a representative by his company to participate in Produce 101 (season 2) due to his well-rounded skills in singing and dancing. He achieved an 'A' rank in the evaluations and finished in fifth place in the finale with 984,756 votes. As part of the top eleven contestants, he would go on to debut as a member of Wanna One. Prior to his participation in Produce 101, Ong took part in a short film project Short Film Project: Beginning. The short film, titled Seong-wu Is Alright, was released on June 19, 2017. Additionally, he made a special appearance on the mobile drama Idol Fever, which aired between July 7 to July 17, 2017. 2017–2018: Debut with Wanna One Ong debuted as a member of the project group Wanna One on August 7, 2017. He went on to represent the group in several appearances on variety shows such as Happy Together, The Return of Superman, and Saturday Night Live Korea. He also served as a special emcee on music show broadcasts for M Countdown and Inkigayo. Ong, together with fellow group mate Kang Daniel, was cast for the pilot episode of the variety show Master Key, and was later confirmed as a fixed cast member. His appearance on the show garnered positive reactions from media outlets, receiving praise for his skillful deception of his cast mates in the psychological game-style show to net the show's biggest win thus far. In