ATEEZ's Choi San on 52kg debut weight, 4-year body transformation, and three Billboard 200 No. 1s
Choi San opened up about his physical transformation on MBC's 'Jeonjijeok Chamgyeon Sijeom' ep. 421 (Oct. 24), tracing ATEEZ's rise from his 52kg debut weight to three Billboard 200 No. 1s.
From 52kg to three Billboard 200 No. 1s
Choi San weighed 52kg when ATEEZ debuted. Now, nine years later, the group has topped the Billboard 200 three times, sold out US stadiums, and become the first K-pop boy group to perform at Coachella. Episode 421 of MBC's Jeonjijeok Chamgyeon Sijeom, which aired October 24, mapped the distance between those two moments.
San built his current frame by eating six meals a day and training at high intensity for four years—a routine he adopted to keep up with the group's choreography demands. He belongs to ATEEZ's internal workout group, Eussha Eussha (으쌰으쌰), and drew global notice for the chest-dance bit in "BAD."
The episode also revealed the physical cost. Hongjoong and Seonghwa both performed with rib fractures. Yeosang broke a finger—the bone bent backward—and set it himself before going back onstage.
San's take on what keeps them going: "I think it's most important to do what we've always done. I want to be an artist who consistently shows cool stages and can deliver many emotions."
Yu Young-woo's first university festival
The same episode followed Yu Young-woo (유영우), known from Gamedian (가미디언), through two outings. He and his manager—described as a "legendary miser"—hit up Dongmyo, Seoul's vintage clothing district, and walked out with nine items for 130,000 won.
Then his first university festival as an opening-act guest singer. Before performing, he ran a humidifier and prepped pear-bellflower juice, honey, and propolis for his voice. He sang "질풍가도" and got a surprise mid-set: vocalist HYNN (박혜원) joined him for a duet. First festival, surprise collab—not bad.
His post-show words were simple: "I will sing harder."
Next week: AKMU solo episode
Next Saturday brings AKMU's Lee Chan-hyuk and Lee Su-hyun as solo guests. The siblings left their agency after 12 years and launched independent activities under Yeongam-ui Saemteo (영감의 샘터); their concert Somun-ui Nagwon (소문의 낙원) drew 30,000 attendees. Jeonjijeok Chamgyeon Sijeom airs every Saturday at 11:10 PM on MBC.
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