Former SM Entertainment “Rookies” Trainee Goes Viral For Looking Like Multiple Male Idols In One

Which familiar face do you see?

A former SM Entertainment trainee, who was once part of the “Rookies” 94-liner alongside former NCT member Taeil and NewKidd‘s Ji Hansol, has found himself in the spotlight again after his photos resurfaced and went viral online.

Yongzoo | MostWorks

Some photos of Yongzoo, born Park Yong Ju, were shared via theqoo where Koreans expressed awe at how much he looks like other K-Pop idols.

Some names included HIGHLIGHT‘s Yang Yoseob and Lee Gikwang…

Yongzoo’s photo mistaken for Yang Yoseob’s | theqoo

| theqoo

• “He kind of reminds me of Ong Seong Wu, too. LOL.”
• “It’s Yongzoo!”
• “How fascinating, haha.”
• “Oh, what the heck. I see it.”
• “Wow, he does look like Yoseob and Gikwang. Haha.”
• “I see Yoseob and Gikwang, as well as V, Kyuhyun, and a lot more. LOL.”

Yongzoo’s photo mistaken for Lee Gikwang’s | theqoo

| theqoo

• “What the heck. He looks like Yang Yoseob when his mouth isn’t open. But when it is, he looks like Lee Gikwang, haha.”
• “Wow, the resemblance is uncanny.”
• “Whoa, what the?! I actually thought I was looking at Yoseob’s selfies.”
• “Wait, what?! Is this real?”

…as well as BTS‘s V, former BTOB member Jung Ilhoon, and idol-turned-actor Ong Seong Wu.

Yongzoo | theqoo

| theqoo

• “Are we sure these aren’t Yoseob’s pictures?”
• ‘Wow. He’s like a love child between Yoseob and Gikwang.”
• “I see CRAVITY‘s Serim, too.”
• “Wow. Doesn’t he kind of look like Jungwoo?”

Yongzoo was a private trainee at SM Entertainment before he participated in the two seasons of the Korea-China collaborative program Super Idol. The program, in which Yongzoo became the final winner, was aired on MBC in 2015. However, as Korea-China relations deteriorated due to the THAAD issue at the time, Yongzoo’s debut was canceled.

| @SuperIdol.Fanpage/Facebook

After Super Idol, Yongzoo picked up the stage name J-Homie and released a couple of songs. But his real rise to fame came in 2018 when he signed with MostWorks and participated in SBS‘s The Fan. On The Fan, Yongzoo advanced to the “Top 5 Round,” building a fandom for himself and kicking off his career as a vocalist.

Between 2019 and 2020, Yongzoo was part of the soundtracks to three hit K-Dramas: When The Camellia Blooms, The King: Eternal Monarch, and It’s Okay To Not Be Okay. Yongzoo has not released music since, and while his social media activities halted in 2023, his followers continue to ask for his return to the K-Pop scene.