Background
Eli was born in Los Angeles, California to Korean parents.
Eli was born in Los Angeles, California to Korean parents.
He attended Ni River Middle School and Riverbend High School in Virginia. He studied the techniques for Taekwondo and Kung Fu for 12 years, opening an opportunity for him to be cast as an extra in a Chinese movie.
He spent most of his years in Fredericksburg, Virginia. He has a younger sister named Minah and an older sister named Hannah. After dropping out of high school, he went alone to Beijing, China at the age of 15 to pursue his studies where he also learned Mandarin.
He is fluent in both English and Mandarin.
U-Kiss
Eli is the fourth addition to the Korean boy band U-KISS, which was formed by New Hampshire Media Entertainment in 2008. They were launched in Power of Atamix in Japan alongside other Korean boy bands such as Paran.
They also debuted in South of Korea days later. On April 27, 2011, Eli and Kevin went to Hong Kong for a special street date with their Hong Kong fans for their show Star Date with U-KISS in Hong Kong special.
This was sponsored by Binggrae, which aims to connect the fans all over the world to Hallyu stars to encourage cultural exchanges.
The special was aired through Arirang television on May 3. Other activities
Eli was one of the hosts for the variety show Raising Idol along with U-KISS member Shin Dongho, MBLAQ"s Thunder and Shinee"s Key. He appeared on MBC"s We Are Dating on December 24, 2010 where he showed his Casanova type of being a manitoba
He also hosted the segment "All About You" on Arirang television"s Pops in Seoul, along with fellow U-KISS members, Alexander and Kevin.
He also acts as an Military Cross in the show Fusion with Park Myung-soo under MBC which premiered on April 1. In November 2012, Eli along with Nova Scotia Yoon-G were chosen to host a new weekly English show, K-popular Tasty Road on Olive television (and on Mnet in the United States and various other countries).
The show gives K-popular fans a sense of where Hallyu celebrities eat, play, work, and shop. The first episode was aired on November 10.
In January 2010, Eli and fellow member Kibum starred their acting career in a Thai-Korean drama, Autumn Destiny, with Thai actor Mario Maurer.
Eli and Kibum"s voices were dubbed since they could not speak Thai. In 2011, Eli and fellow members Dongho and Kiseop were cast in an MBC sitcom titled Real School. The trio acted in a 40-episode series, transforming into high school students who reside at an "English Village" in an attempt to face and crack their fear of speaking English.
In October 2014, Eli was cast as the male lead in a Chinese adaptation of the Korean drama Full House.
He is a member of South Korean boy band U-KISS. He is a rapper in the group and one of the three English-speaking members of U-KISS.