Moonbin

Biography

Moon Bin (Korean: 문빈; January 26, 1998 – April 19, 2023), also known professionally as Moonbin, was a South Korean singer, actor, and dancer under the label Fantagio. He was a member of the South Korean boy group Astro and its sub-unit Moonbin & Sanha.

Early life

Moonbin was born on January 26, 1998, in Cheongju, Chungbuk Province. He attended and graduated from Hanlim Multi Art School, focusing in Practical Music.
He was one of two siblings in his family, with a younger sister named Moon Sua, who is a member of the South Korean girl group Billlie.

2006–2015: Pre-debut

Under the influence of his mother, Moonbin debuted as a child model and ulzzang in 2004. His first known appearance was in 2006, where he appeared in TVXQ's music video for their song "Balloons" portraying a mini U-Know Yunho. In 2009, he had his first acting role in the Korean drama Boys over Flowers where he played the younger version of Kim Bum's character.
Moonbin began his journey with Fantagio as a trainee in fifth grade, eventually transitioning to a full-fledged trainee during his middle school years. He actively took part in the company's boy group project iTeen, and he was introduced through the Fantagio iTeen Photo Test Cut. Before his official debut with Astro, Moonbin and his fellow group members starred in a web-drama titled "To Be Continued".

2016–2022: Debut with Astro, solo activities, and unit debut

Moonbin debuted as part of the six-member boy group Astro on February 23, 2016. Their debut extended play, Spring Up, contained five songs, including the lead single "Hide & Seek". In 2018, Moonbin joined the cast of The Ultimate Watchlist of Latest Trends, participating in the first two seasons. The following year, he was cast in Moments of Eighteen, where he played the character of Jung Oh-je.
On November 12, 2019, Fantagio reported that for health reasons, Moonbin would be absent from Astro's upcoming promotions for their Blue Flame EP release. He ended his hiatus in February 2020 after appearing in a V Live broadcast with the other Astro members. He was announced as one of the new hosts of the South Korean music show Show Champion, alongside his bandmate Yoon San-ha and Verivery's Kangmin. He was confirmed to play the lead role in the web-drama The Mermaid Prince, a role which he reprised for a second season, and joined the eco-friendly cooking program Food Avengers.
In September 2020, Moonbin was announced as one of the fashion models for the brand Nerdy Cafe. He and band-mate Sanha (Yoon San-ha) debuted as Astro's first sub-unit Moonbin & Sanha with the release of their debut EP, In-Out, along with its lead single, "Bad Idea", on September 14. The unit received their first music show win from The Show eight days later.
Later that year, Moonbin was added as a cast member for the second season of Coupang Play's Saturday Night Live Korea. On December 30, 2022, Fantagio released an official statement confirming that Moonbin had decided to renew his contract with the agency.

Death

On the evening of April 19, 2023, Moonbin was found dead at his home in the Gangnam District of Seoul at the age of 25. He was found by his manager after he failed to attend rehearsals. Yonhap News shared a statement released by the Seoul Gangnam Police who were investigating his death and described it as a suspected suicide, but were "discussing the possibility of an autopsy to determine the precise cause of death". On April 20, Gangnam Police told CNN that "no signs of foul play have been found related to this case."
According to an official statement released by Fantagio on April 21, Moonbin was to be buried on April 22, 2023. The funeral procession and the burial site was kept private per the request of his family.

Songwriting credits

All credits are listed under the Korea Music Copyright Association unless otherwise stated.