Park Jin-young
Rain was born as Jung Ji-hoon on June 25, 1982, in Seosan, South Korea. His mother died in December 2000 as she struggled with diabetes. In the same year, Rain was recruited as a trainee for JYP Entertainment, led by recording artist and producer Park Jin-young. In a CNN interview and also in a Discovery Channel documentary called "Discovering Hip Korea", he recalled being repeatedly rejected because of his looks: "In fact, I was told after one audition that my singing and dancing was great but I did not make it because I did not have double eyelids." He was eventually recruited into JYP Entertainment, as Park Jin-young saw his drive and persistence. During his early years of training, Rain was a backup dancer.