Kim Han Bin, known professionally as B.I, is a South Korean singer, dancer, composer, producer, and former member of iKON (아이콘). He dropped out of high school but later passed the High School Graduation Certification Examination.

In 2009, he featured in MC Mong's single "Indian Boy" and later, both performed on stage at the 2009 SBS Dream Concert.

He joined YG Entertainment (YG엔터테인먼트) as a trainee in January 2011 and became part of the agency's Team B. The team was completed when the 6th member was introduced in late 2012. Then, in 2013, he participated in the Mnet reality survival show "WIN: Who Is Next", competing against other trainees in Team A for the chance to debut as a group. Ultimately, Team B lost, and Team A ended up debuting as WINNER.

In June 2014, Team B appeared in the reality survival program "Mix & Match", a follow-up of the original show, in order to determine the final members of YG's second project group. He was already confirmed as a member (along with Bobby and Jay), but he was involved in the selection process of the remaining members.

After several delays, he finally made his debut in September 2015 as iKON's leader, main dancer, lead rapper and sub-vocalist with their first album, "Welcome Back". They already had a fanbase in South Korea, Japan and other countries in Southeast Asia, so they quickly became a successful rookie idol group, winning first places in music shows, holding concerts and fan meetings, and ranking high in all major song/digital charts in the country.

Then, he became part of the group's only sub-unit, DOUBLE B, alongside Bobby. They released the digital single "Anthem" in late 2015 and were working on a single album, but the project was postponed and then cancelled when he left the group in 2019.

In June 2019, a report revealed that he had allegedly attempted to purchase marijuana and LSD in 2016 from an undisclosed female dealer. A few hours later, he apologized and accepted some of the alleged charges as he was dealing with some mental health issues and needed something to cope. He also announced his departure from the group and the agency, which was immediately confirmed by YG.

In February 2020, the police investigation continued, and he was tested for drug use by the National Forensic Service, which came back negative. Then, IOK Company named him Executive Director of the agency in September of that year.

In February 2021, he launched his own company, 131 Label (일삼일레이블), first as a subsidiary of IOK and later becoming an independent company in October 2022. He made his debut as a solo artist in March of that year with the album "Midnight Blue".

In September 2021, after admitting his guilt, the Seoul Central District Court sentenced him to 3 years of incarceration, suspended for a probationary period of 4 years, 80 hours of community service, 40 hours of drug education courses, and a fine of 1.5 million KRW (approximately $1,300 USD).

In February 2023, he stepped down from his position as the head of the label in order to focus on his music work as an artist and producer.

(Source: MyDramaList) Edit Biography