To wrap up 2022, we had our last spotlight vote to decide which MC lineup was the fan favorite for the entire year, and though the competition was tough, it was Music Bank’s MC Jangkku, made up of Enhypen’s Sunghoon & IVE’s Wonyoung that took home the crown!

Today we’re going to give you a brief introduction to each of them, and then look at the amazing chemistry that made them such a beloved pair!

The Nation’s Pick: Wonyoung

Now, one of the things this pairing has in common is that they both have history as ‘monster rookies’ starting right from their debut, and are currently dominating the K-Pop landscape today too.

Wonyoung debuted as part of IVE on Dec 1st, 2021 under Starship Entertainment, and despite the group barely being a year old, they have already solidified their place as one of the top girl groups of this generation. In the group, Wonyoung serves as a vocalist and the official visual of the group, but her popularity actually predates her debut with IVE.

Before IVE, Wonyoung was actually part of the project group, IZ*ONE, which she joined after ranking first on the survival reality show, Produce 48. Wonyoung ranking first just shows how much she was adored by the public even before she debuted, and that popularity has only increased as she continues to carry out her activities as a member of IVE now.

Mesmerizing Visuals: Sunghoon

Similarly, Sunghoon also had his beginnings as a participant on a survival reality show - he competed in I-LAND, hosted by HYBE and CJ E&M Entertainment, where he ranked 6th with over a million votes. Now he’s active as part of the explosively popular boy group, ENHYPEN, and though the group has no official positions, he was voted No.1 visual during Ep.12 of I-LAND, which would be another similarity he has with Wonyoung.

Unlike Wonyoung however, Sunghoon has a very unique past compared to many idols. He actually spent much of his youth as a figure skater, starting at 9 years old and skating for 10 years - even going as far as to win awards. Today however, the movements and athleticism he gained from his skating days has transferred into amazing dancing skills that mesmerize fans on stage.

MC Jangkku

The two artists first began presenting together as MCs on Music Bank on October 8th, 2021, and fans were soon enamored by their dazzling visuals and friendly chemistry. Their pairing name ‘Jangkku’ was actually created by the artists themselves; ‘Jang’ being Wonyoung’s family name, and ‘Kku’ being a cuter abbreviation of ‘baekgu’ (white puppy), which is one of Sunghoon’s nicknames.

During their time presenting together, they won the ‘Best Couple’ award during the 2021 KBS Entertainment Awards, however unfortunately, the pair stopped presenting together on September 2nd, 2022, just under a year later from when they first started working together. Regardless, they’re still remembered fondly after all this time.

Were you a fan of MC Jangkku, and what’s your favorite memory of the pairing? Let us know in the comments on the Kooky app!

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Writer: Han (O.L)

Editor: Han (O.L)