Kim Kang-Hoon (김강훈; born August 24, 1984), better known by his stage name Yesung, is a South Korean singer and actor. He debuted in 2005 as a member of Super Junior and its subgroups Super Junior-K.R.Y., Super Junior-H and participated in SM Entertainment's project S.M. The Ballad. Aside from group activities, he has recorded songs for various television dramas and movies, participated in various television dramas, movies, musical and also being radio hosting. From a young age, Yesung expressed an interest in singing. In 1999, he joined a broadcast singing competition and won gold at the Cheonan Singing Competition. In 2001, Yesung's mother signed him up to audition for SM Entertainment's Starlight Casting System, in which he impressed the judges with his "artistic voice", and signed as trainee under SM Entertainment that same year. His label given him stage name Yesung which is derived from the Korean phrase "예술가의 성대" (lit. meaning: vocal cords of an artist) and can be translated as an "art-like voice". During his military service in February 2014, Yesung joined the ballad group SM the Ballad, initially formed by SM Entertainment in 2010. On the group's second album, he had a solo song: "Blind".