Endorsers

## Rain

Jung Ji-Hoon (born June 25, 1982), better known by his stage name Rain, is a South Korean singer-songwriter, actor, and music producer.

Rain's musical career includes seven albums (six Korean, one Japanese), 28 singles and numerous concert tours around the world. His acting career began in 2003, when he won the KBS Best New Actor award. In 2004, Rain won the KBS Excellence in Acting (Best Actor) award. He acted in his first Korean film the Alfred Bauer Prize at the Berlin International Film Festival (2006). Rain has acted in the American films Speed Racer (2008) and Ninja Assassin (2009), the latter of which made him the first Korean to win an MTV award.[3] Rain acted in another Korean film, R2B: Return to Base, that was released in August 2012.

Rain became an endorser of Nature Republic in 2009.

## JYJ

JYJ (formerly known as Junsu/Yuchun/Jejung in Japan) is a South Korean pop group formed in 2010 by Jaejoong, Yoochun, and Junsu, the three former members of TVXQ. Their group name is taken from the first letters of each member's names. The trio are managed by C-JeS Entertainment.

In April 2010, they released their debut record, the Japanese EP The..., which topped the Japanese Oricon Albums Chart. Their subsequent releases, including their global debut album, The Beginning (2010) and their second studio album and first Korean full-length album, In Heaven (2011), all debuted at number one on the Korean Gaon Album Chart.
JYJ has caught the attention of various newspapers and media networks around the world, and is the first K-pop group to perform in Chile and Peru.

On September 13, 2010, JYJ became the new endorsers of the brand after signing a one year contract with Nature Republic. The company plans to use their strong influence in Asia by enacting “differentiated marketing strategies”, targeting not only domestic customers, but also foreign customers as well.

## KARA

Kara (Hangul: 카라, Japanese: カラ, often stylized as KARA) is a South Korean pop girl group formed by DSP Media in 2007. The group is composed of Park Gyuri, Han Seungyeon, Goo Hara, and Heo Youngji. The group's name comes from the Greek word "chara" (χαρά, lit. "joy"), which they interpreted to mean "sweet melody".

The group originally started off as a quartet and made their debut with "Break It" (2007) while displaying a strong female image and a mature R&B sound. Expectations for the group were big because they were considered as successors to their senior labelmate, Fin.K.L. They released their first studio album titled The First Blooming in March 2007. However, their debut was not well received by the public and was a commercial failure. The following year, Kim Sunghee departed the group due to parental pressure, and members Goo Hara and Kang Jiyoung were brought in. After their addition, the group also changed their musical style and their image to the "pretty but natural" appeal, releasing their first mini-album, Rock U in July 2008. They achieved their first number one song with "Honey" (2009).[4] In July 2009, the group released their second studio album, Revolution and spawned the hit single "Mister", whose choreography featured the "butt-dance", that helped increase the group's popularity within East Asia. Their follow-up singles including "Lupin" (2010), "Jumping" (2010), "Step" (2011), and "Pandora" (2012) were also successful and helped further establish the group within the Korean music industry.

In 2014, Nicole Jung and Kang Jiyoung decided not to renew their contracts with DSP Media thus leaving the group to pursue their own endeavours; Nicole debuted as solo artist and Jiyoung became an actress in Japan. Following their departures, a reality show titled Kara Project was aired on TV to select members to join the group. Seven trainees from DSP Media (including former members of DSP's group Puretty) took part in the program. The winner of the competition was Heo Youngji who became the latest member to join the group.

In 2011, KARA's Gyuri, Hara and Jiyoung were selected as Nature Republic's new models.

## Jang Keun Suk

Jang Keun-suk (Hangul: 장근석; hanja: 張根碩; born August 4, 1987) is a South Korean actor, model and singer. He is best known for starring in the television dramas Beethoven Virus (2008), You're Beautiful (2009), Mary Stayed Out All Night (2010), Love Rain (2012), and Pretty Man (2013).

Jang Keun-suk also became an endorser of the brand in the same year as KARA did.

## Taeyeon (SNSD)

Kim Tae-yeon (born March 9, 1989), known professionally as Taeyeon, is a South Korean singer and actress. She is a member of South Korean girl group Girls' Generation, its subgroup TTS, and SM the Ballad. Taeyeon has also released several soundtracks for various television dramas and movies.

In August 2013, it was announced that Taeyeon and EXO signed a 2-year endorsement deal with Nature Republic.

## EXO

Exo (Korean: 엑소; stylized as EXO) is a Chinese-South Korean boy band based in Seoul. Formed by S.M. Entertainment in 2011, the group consists of twelve members separated into two subgroups, EXO-K and EXO-M, performing music in Korean and Mandarin, respectively. EXO rose to fame with the release of their best-selling first album XOXO (2013), which contained the breakthrough hit "Growl". XOXO was a critical and commercial success, winning both Disk Daesang at the 28th Golden Disk Awards and Album of the Year at the 15th Mnet Asian Music Awards. It eventually went to sell over one million copies, putting EXO as the fastest-selling Korean artist in twelve years. Their third EP Overdose (2014) made EXO the highest-charting Korean male act on the Billboard 200.

In May 2014, Kris filed a lawsuit against S.M. Entertainment to be removed from the group. Luhan followed suit in October 2014.[3] Following their departures, EXO carried on with ten members.

In August 2013, it was announced that Taeyeon and EXO signed a 2-year endorsement deal with Nature Republic.