Youn Sung-ho graduated from Dong-Ah Broadcasting College with a major in theater and film,[1] and started his career after successfully auditioning with SBS in 2001.
[2] With his character Pakgu on KBS' Gag Concert, he gained some popularity nationally.
[4] In 2023, he started uploading videos on YouTube as a monk character, bearing his Buddhist name 'Iljin' (일진).
Later in November 2023, he received the name 'Newjin' (뉴진) for the character at Jogyesa Temple in Seoul, stylized in English as 'NewJeansNim'.
[16][17] The Singapore performance was announced on May 31, 2024, as being cancelled as he insisted on including two soundtracks with religious elements in the set and an agreement between him and the club could not be reached.