Baek Junseo

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Baek Junseo
Birth Name	Baek Junseo (백준서)
Birth Date	January 8th, 2004
Birth Place	Boryeong, South Korea
Pronouns	he/him
Height	179cm
Blood Type	AB
Agency Information
Associated Agencies	StarLight Entertainment

Baek Junseo (백준서) is a South Korean trainee under StarLight Entertainment. He is a participant on the survival show MAGNET RISE.

History

Early Life

Baek Junseo was born on January 8th, 2004, in Boryeong, South Chungcheong, South Korea. Shortly after his birth, his parents decided to move to Seongnam to live closer to Junseo’s maternal grandparents. Junseo became the oldest child in his family, with three younger siblings born in 2006, 2009, and 2011. Both of his parents worked long hours, so Junseo’s grandparents acted as caretakers for him and his siblings when he was younger. After the passing of his grandfather in 2018, Junseo stepped into the caretaker role for his younger siblings, as he was used to looking after them when his grandparents were unable to. As his grandfather had been an amateur sports broadcaster and an accountant before he retired, Junseo wanted to follow in his footsteps and saw him as a mentor. Junseo was at the top of his grade in mathematics and social sciences throughout elementary and middle school.
Junseo’s interest in performing began in 2017 when a friend invited him to attend one of the EMERGE IN ASIA 2017 Tour -Red Beryl- concerts. Junseo was a fan of alternative rock and a few Western pop artists, but had little interest in his home country’s pop scene. His grandmother had wanted to be a musical theatre actress when she resided in the United Kingdom as a teenager, so Junseo learned how to sing from her when he was younger. During the concert, Junseo imagined himself on the stage and couldn’t shake the image out of his head. Junseo used the little time he had between schoolwork and extracurriculars to research popular K-pop groups, teach himself how to dance through video tutorials, and practice singing. In 2018, after his grandfather’s passing, Junseo put his dreams of performing aside as he had no time to focus on anything outside of school-related activities and taking care of his siblings.
Following his high school graduation in 2022, Junseo was accepted into Seoul National University with plans to pursue a degree in business administration so that he could take the graduate accounting program. He received a tuition scholarship funded by an alumni of his high school based on his academic scores. To help pay for non-tuition university expenses, Junseo worked part-time at a cafe near the university. Junseo dropped out of his program following the first semester of his second year due to mental health issues and discontentment with his coursework. He was encouraged by the oldest of his younger siblings to audition for StarLight Entertainment and follow his dreams of performing. Junseo had grown skeptical of the idol industry, but never fully grew out of wanting to be an idol. Despite his parents expressing their disappointment over the decision, Junseo attended the audition.

Junseo's profile picture on social media

Pre-debut

Junseo was accepted through all three rounds of the audition process and officially joined StarLight Entertainment as a trainee in October 2023. He quit his cafe job and picked up another part-time position as a waiter at a restaurant near the company to pay his training fees. Junseo’s first few months of training were through the company’s “Reduced Lessons” training stream to accommodate his work schedule and some residual mental health struggles he was recovering from.
Junseo was moved into the Star Trainees program and revealed to the public in November 2024. He was the first of the Star Trainees to participate in a “Get To Know Me” video series.

MAGNET RISE

In February 2025, Junseo was announced as a participant on MAGNET RISE.

Personal Life

Junseo is very selective with the K-pop artists he considers himself a fan of. His favourite artists are RUBY and Noa. Junseo befriended RUBY’s Sashihara Soro and Vichai Kammana while they were trainees together. As for Noa, Junseo’s younger siblings really enjoy her music, so he found himself listening to her discography on repeat by his own choice. EMERGE also holds a special place in Junseo’s heart because of the concert he attended, although he is only a casual listener of theirs. Junseo is an avid fan of rock. His favourite bands are Awkward Boy Syndrome, Fake Moon Landing, and Chen Wang & The Rejects.
Junseo was diagnosed with major depression in May 2023 and it was one of the reasons he dropped out of university. He hid the diagnoses from his parents for several months because he did not want to disappoint them further, leading to him refusing to seek treatment. After he joined StarLight Entertainment, Junseo was encouraged to meet with a clinical psychologist associated with the company. By May 2024, Junseo’s depressive symptoms had subsided enough that he could switch from the “Reduced Lessons” stream to the “Part-Time Lessons” stream. Junseo has mentioned that when he debuts, he wants to help destigmatize depression and mental illness as a whole in South Korea, although he isn’t sure he’d be able to make too much of an impact.
Junseo has two sisters and one brother. He refers to them as 2006, 2009, and 2011 rather than their real names. The older of his sisters is currently studying engineering, with an interest in civil engineering. Junseo gets along best with his other sister because of her interest in music. Junseo does not talk much about his brother, but says that the two of them bond over bicycle rides.

Skills

Vocals:	☆☆☆☆☆☆☆☆☆☆
Junseo learned how to sing from his grandmother, who wanted to be a musical theatre actress when she was younger. He grew up singing songs from English musicals, so his voice is very expressive. Junseo has a large vocal range and has a high supported belting range. He struggles with some falsetto.
Rap:	☆☆☆
Junseo has never trained in rap. Although he could easily read out the lyrics of a rap verse, he lacks technique and flow. Junseo has pretty good rhythm and his expressive voice helps with tone.
Dance:	☆☆☆☆☆☆☆
Junseo is self-taught in dance and put a lot of effort into improving his skills when he started training. He is very precise with his movements and is good at details. Junseo struggles with proper energy placement.
Charisma:	☆☆☆☆☆☆☆☆
Junseo is generally charismatic. He has a gentle, calm charm to him that draws people in. On stage, even when he doesn't stand out, he is charismatic.
Stage Presence:	☆☆☆☆☆
Junseo doesn't have bad stage presence, but he has room for improvement. He struggles with confidence in his facial expressions for darker songs.
Producing:	☆
Junseo has never been trained in producing.
Songwriting:	☆☆☆☆☆
Junseo has written a couple personal songs but is learning.