Coyote's Kim Jong-min on 28 years, marriage, and wanting a chart #1

28 years and still chasing #1

Coyote leader Kim Jong-min has one clear ambition left: "Whether it's a music broadcast or music source, I want to achieve 1st place under our name."

The group debuted in 1998 and is now marking their 28th anniversary. Kim Jong-min joined through their third studio album Passion in 2000 and has led the group since. He's also a long-running cast member of variety show 1 Night 2 Days and won the 2016 KBS Entertainment Awards.

Marriage, members, and a next-generation group

Kim Jong-min married a non-celebrity 11 years his junior in April 2025. This year, member Shinji also married—a back-to-back milestone for the group. He described the post-marriage Shinji as "much calmer" with "a sense of liberation," adding that she now accepts whatever comes with an ease of "this much is fine."

On starting a family of his own, Kim Jong-min said he plans to follow his wife's lead on timing. If their child wants to be a singer, he said he would "actively support them." He went further: "If the members' children formed a group like Coyote, that would be wonderful"—and confirmed the members have actually talked among themselves about having children and raising them together.

(The man is already scouting the next generation's debut concept.)

What keeps a 28-year group together

Kim Jong-min credited the group's longevity to "trust, affection, and tenderness between members." He recalled Coyote's first solo concert as especially memorable because Shinji pushed through despite being in poor condition that day. Performing now feels more relaxed than it did in the group's earlier years.

He described 2026 personally as "the first step toward becoming more mature—learning through good things and through difficult experiences, gradually maturing."