Singers Kim Jae-joong and Kim Jun-su have opened a new paradigm with JX.

Kim Jae-joong and Kim Jun-su successfully held their 20th anniversary solo concert ‘JX 2024 CONCERT [IDENTITY] in SEOUL’ (hereinafter referred to as [IDENTITY]) at the KSPO DOME (former Gymnastics Arena) in Olympic Park, Seoul for three days on the 8th, 9th, and 10th, truly proving their identities as befitting the title [IDENTITY].

It was a monumental concert where Kim Jae-joong and Kim Jun-su shared the same stage for the first time in a long time, and it raised expectations for the two who have walked the 20-year journey of music together to announce a new beginning that they will write separately and together, so all 30,000 seats for each show were ‘perfectly sold out’, and long lines of fans waiting for on-site sales formed every day, showing the anticipation for JX‘s proved their box office power. Kim Jae-joong and Kim Jun-su lived up to the audience’s expectations with solid live performances and diverse compositions and productions. In addition, six veteran band session members, 17 dance crew members including choreographer Jung Gun-young, who has been friends with them for 20 years, and three chorus members joined to complete an even higher quality performance.

JX, who led the cheers from the opening with performances of mega hit songs such as ‘Rising Sun’ and ‘O-正.反.合.’, showed off their diverse charms with sweet vocals in ‘I Believe’ and continued the sing-along with fans with ‘You Always’. To the fans they met as JX, they said, “It‘s been a while since I sang a song, so I was nervous, but I was able to enjoy it more leisurely because you all liked it. Seeing the image I’ve always dreamed of makes me think that I didn‘t give up and came to the right place. It’s all thanks to the fans,” he greeted.

The strengths of Kim Jae-joong and Kim Jun-su, who have maintained their positions at the top of K-POP for over 20 years, were confirmed at every stage. Kim Jun-su showed off his skills with solo stages of ‘Tarangallegra’, ‘Flower’, and ‘ROCK THE WORLD’, while Kim Jae-joong showed off his skills with solo stages of ‘Devotion’, ‘Summer J’, and ‘Glorious Day’. They also presented J-POP stages such as ‘Stand By U’, ‘Proud’ for the global fans who attended the event, stimulating nostalgia and bringing the audience to tears.

The gorgeous VCR video that encapsulated the identities of the two artists also caught the eye. Kim Jaejoong and Kim Junsu doubled the emotion by expressing a narrative that touched the hearts of fans with their irreplaceable visuals that drew cheers from the entire audience.

JX, who raised the heat with ‘주물-MIROTIC’, reappeared on the encore stage and left a deep aftertaste with a narrative performance from his debut song ‘HUG’ to ‘Balloons’ and ‘Love In The Ice’.

Lastly, Kim Jaejoong said, “I think my frustration is relieved when I sing because the stories I couldn‘t tell until now are melted into music. Rather than the sad and lonely feelings of the past, I’m touched by the happiness of being together now,“ he said with tears in his eyes and expressed his sincere feelings.

Junsu Kim also sang ‘Don’t Say Goodbye‘ (돈 세이 할바이) with the fans and said, “It‘s a dreamlike moment. Singing with Jaejoong hyung, it feels like I’ve gone back in time. It‘s a complicated and subtle memory, but I’m honored to be with you all now because of that time. I hope I can continue to see you for many more generations to come,” conveying his sincerity.

With this concert, Jaejoong Kim and Junsu Kim celebrated their 20-year musical history as artists with their fans, looking back on the path they‘ve walked while also pledging to make a new leap forward. By making the 30,000 audience cry and reaffirming the strong bond with their fans who have been with them for a long time, they added a meaningful page to their musical footsteps and pledged to make another tomorrow.

Jaejoong Kim and Junsu Kim, who have once again created a new musical identity as JX, plan to continue their active activities. JX will also perform [IDENTITY] at the Saitama Veruna Dome in Japan on December 14th and 15th.

Jeon Hyo-jin, Donga.com reporter jhj@donga.com