Justin

Justin is one of the most internationally legible faces in SM Entertainment's SMTR25 rollout, a Japanese trainee pushed into public view through Reply High School and the 2026 single We Go Up. Instead of keeping the pipeline hidden until debut, SM gave Justin and the rest of the team a real audience-facing test run, with Mnet framing the class structure, performance growth, and personality beats in public.

That strategy matters for Justin because he sits inside the part of SM's trainee system built for a global next-gen boy-group market. He was introduced in the show's "90s Class," with Soompi's published profile update confirming his January 27, 2006 birth date and Japanese nationality. Since then, the SMTR25 project has expanded beyond one reality title into a broader pre-debut ecosystem that includes official music, fan content, and live appearances tied to SM Entertainment's 30th-anniversary cycle.

For HITKULTR, Justin matters because he represents the kind of trainee SM is no longer hiding until the last minute. Through Reply High School, We Go Up, and the wider SMTR25 showcase path with Mnet, he is already moving through the market as a recognizable pre-debut asset, not just a name on a future lineup sheet.