SHINee Taemin transfers to arts school

SHINee member Taemin [SM Entertainment]

Boy band SHINee member Taemin has transferred to an arts school in Seoul, according to his agency SM Entertainment on Wednesday.

An official at SM confirmed the news over the phone while adding that the decision was made to help the youngest member of SHINee to focus on his singing career.

Taemin, whose real name is Lee Taemin, is 17 and is set to become a senior in high school starting this month. Up till last month, he had attended Chungdam High School, a regular high school in the affluent Chungdam district of Seoul.

Composed of other members Key, Minho, Jonghyun and Onew, SHINee is one of Korea's most popular male groups who made their debut in 2008 under major talenthouse SM Entertainment. They have produced a number of hit songs including "Reply," "Ring Ding Dong" and "LUCIFER."

They will kick off their singing career in Japan this year, starting by releasing their first album in the country in March through EMI Music Japan, a subsidiary of British music company EMI Group Ltd.

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Reporter : Choi June-yong yjchoi01@
Editor : Jessica Kim jesskim@