Early life and debut Prior to his official debut, Wonho became part of a project group called Nu Boyz, alongside his labelmates
#Gun,
Shownu, and
Joohoney, formed under
Starship Entertainment in August 2014. The quartet uploaded multiple tracks to the label's channel on
YouTube, including performing at the opening show of the Starship X concert on December 5, 2014. In late December, Starship Entertainment and
Mnet launched a survival competition program called
No.Mercy. On its final episode, Wonho was selected, alongside the other six contestants, including the Nu Boyz's members Shownu and Joohoney, as a member of the label's new boy group
Monsta X.
2015–2019: Monsta X Wonho debuted in Monsta X, a hip-hop boy group, upon the release of their first
extended play Trespass, on May 14, 2015. Wonho was a vocalist in the group and beginning in 2017 regularly participated in writing, composing and arranging songs for the group. Since 2018, Wonho has featured in several photoshoots for magazines, as well as partnering with some brands and promoting campaigns by various fashion magazines. He has appeared alongside his groupmates on several occasions, including
Nylon, alongside Shownu in January 2018 and
GQ in August, in both
Ceci Korea in June 2018 and
MAPS, with
Minhyuk in December, lastly,
Grazia, with
Hyungwon in March 2019. He also participated in the collaboration project, with
Elle and
Tom Ford, alongside Shownu, in promotion of Tom Ford's latest perfume line in August 2019. He also made solo appearances, such as a feature in
Dazed in November 2019. Wonho has been recognized as the Korean celebrity who focuses on fitness and physical training, while in several interviews surrounding his photoshoots, he has talked about healthy habits, and emphasized the importance of exercising. In October 2018, he partnered with
Under Armour, as part of the collaboration with
Dazed, to promote an active and healthy lifestyle. He again promoted healthy lifestyle, as part of a photoshoot for
Elles "Body Challenge" campaign, in May 2019. On October 31, Starship Entertainment announced Wonho's departure from Monsta X following allegations of him not paying back money he owed to a friend, after rumors about the illegal use of marijuana when he was younger surfaced on social media.
2020: Solo debut with Love Synonym Pt.1: Right for Me and first solo concert On March 14, Starship Entertainment released an official statement announcing that the investigation made by the
Seoul Metropolitan Police Agency's narcotics investigation team had been concluded; Wonho had been cleared of all allegations and the rumors were false. Wonho signed with
Highline Entertainment, a subsidiary of Starship Entertainment, as a solo artist on April 10. On May 6,
Maverick revealed through a
Twitter post that they had signed a management agreement with Wonho for his international activities. On August 9, Wonho announced the release of his first solo EP
Love Synonym Pt.1: Right for Me. On August 14, he then released the pre-release English-language single "Losing You", along with its music video. "Losing You" gained praise for showing Wonho's all-around musicality, including his vocals, participation in the songwriting, composing, and producing of the song. The album was released on September 4 with the title track "
Open Mind", accompanied by a music video. Wonho held his first solo concert on September 27. Due to restrictions from
COVID-19, the concert was held online through the streaming platform
LiveXLive. During his concert, Wonho announced his first comeback, with a new EP, which was originally intended to be released by the end of 2020, although without a set date. He pre-released a song from the upcoming EP "Flash" through his concert. All five songs from the EP debuted on the
Billboard World Digital Song Sales chart, occupying twenty percent of the entire World Songs chart for that week. He held an online concert WeNeedLove, through LiveXLive on March 28. During the concert, Wonho announced his intention for his next comeback in summer of 2021. In May, Wonho released a music video for the song "Ain't About You" from his second part of his first EP, in collaboration with
Kiiara. On June 15, his American manager,
Eshy Gazit announced the launch of a new label venture Intertwine, in partnership with
BMG, with Monsta X and Wonho as the first two artists involved in the partnership. In July, it was announced that Wonho would release his debut Japanese single album on October 27, with the lead single "
On the Way". On August 4, he pre-released the Japanese version of the song "Lose". Wonho released his second EP
Blue Letter on September 14, with the title track "Blue". On December 1, Wonho released the Japanese digital single "White Miracle".
2022: Facade, first musical and first solo tour Wonho made his comeback with his first single album
Obsession on February 16, with the title track "Eye On You". Wonho released his third EP
Facade on June 13, with the title track "Crazy". From June 3 to July 24, Wonho is set to appear in his first musical with
Equal, a work that reflects on today's chaotic times due to pandemics and conspiracy theories, set in the 17th century Europe, where witches and heresy hunts were rampant. It is a two-person play that captures the metaphor of the COVID-19 era with the desperate desires and twisted fates of Nikola and Theo, two friends driven by the fear of death and extreme loneliness. Wonho will perform as Theo, a bright and cheerful country doctor who struggles to save his friend Nikola, who is dying from an incurable disease. On July 6, Highline released the poster and schedule for Wonho's first European tour Facade, through his official SNS. According to the schedule released with the poster, he will be in Munich and Oberhausen, Germany on August 28 and 31, respectively, Madrid, Spain on September 2, and London, England on September 4. On August 19, Wonho released the
promotional single "Don't hesitate" through
Universe Music for the mobile application Universe. In September, Wonho announced the release of his second single album
Bittersweet on October 14, with the title track "Don't Regret". On November 23, Wonho announced a final concert Everyday Christmas before his mandatory military service. On December 5, he enlisted for his
mandatory military service as a
public service worker. Wonho was officially discharged on September 4, 2024.
2024–present: Syndrome On November 22, he released the English single "
What Would You Do". In December, Wonho participated in the
iHeartRadio Jingle Ball Tour. In June 2025, he pre-released a first single "
Better Than Me", a song inspired by early 2000s
Pop groups like
M2M and
NSYNC, in anticipation of his first studio album
Syndrome, which was released on October 31. In support of the album, he embarked on the 2025 Stay Awake World Tour, which took place in
Latin America and
Europe during July and September, respectively. Following the plans of a
North American leg in November and December, it was eventually cancelled due to "operational issues" and "administrative delays" by the tour's promoter. On October 3, Wonho pre-released a second single "Good Liar". "If You Wanna" was released as the album's third single and the title track alongside the release of
Syndrome. In January 2026, it was announced that two new dates will be added to the Stay Awake World Tour, which will be in
Saitama and
Seoul in February and March, respectively. == Discography ==