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Who is Changkyun, MONSTA X's I.M? Real name, solo albums, agency, enlistment and discharge dates

I.M (Lim Chang-kyun) is MONSTA X's youngest member and a rapper. After his first solo album, DUALITY, he released OVERDRIVE and Off The Beat with Sony Music Korea, which announced the end of his contract in September 2025. He enlisted on February 9, 2026; his reported expected discharge date is August 8, 2027.

I.M, whose real name is Lim Chang-kyun, is the youngest member and a rapper of MONSTA X, the boy group under Starship Entertainment. MONSTA X debuted on May 14, 2015 with TRESPASS. I.M released his first solo album, DUALITY, on February 19, 2021 and signed with Sony Music Korea in November 2022. He released OVERDRIVE (2023) and Off The Beat (2024) with the label, which announced the end of his contract in September 2025.

He enlisted for active-duty Army service on February 9, 2026; his reported expected discharge date is August 8, 2027. MONSTA X continued performing as five members after his enlistment and released the EP The Phase on September 4, 2026.

I.M at a Chanel event in April 2024.
I.M at a Chanel event in April 2024.티비텐, CC BY 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons
ReleaseDate / formatDetails and reported results
DUALITY2021-02-19 / digital EPFirst solo album. Lead track "God Damn" plus "Howlin'," "Burn," "Happy to die" and "Flower-ed."2
OVERDRIVE2023-06-23 / EPFirst album after moving to Sony Music. Six tracks, all written, composed and produced by I.M.4
Slowly2024-01-23 / digital singleSecond collaboration with Heize, who featured on the track and co-wrote it.5
Off The Beat2024-04-03 / 3rd EPLead track "LURE," six tracks. Passed 100,000 first-week copies and earned Hanteo Chart's bronze certification.6,7
Unfold (MONSTA X)2026-04-03 / 3rd US studio albumEntered the Billboard 200 and reached No. 2 on Top Album Sales.14
The Phase (MONSTA X)2026-09-04 / EPReleased by five members without I.M, about a year after the group's previous Korean album. Lead track: "MAGIC."15,16

Changkyun, I.M, 아이엠 — are they the same person?

Yes. His stage name is I.M (아이엠 in Korean) and his real name is Lim Chang-kyun. He is the youngest member of MONSTA X and is described in the press as the group's rapper. WikiTree gave his age as 30 at the time of his enlistment in February 2026.

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When and how did MONSTA X debut?

MONSTA X was formed through Mnet's survival show No.Mercy as Starship Entertainment's first hip-hop boy group, with seven members: Shownu, Joohoney, Wonho, Kihyun, Hyungwon, Minhyuk and I.M. On May 14, 2015 it released the lead track "Trespass" from its debut album TRESPASS and performed on Mnet's M Countdown. When I.M announced the end of his Starship contract in 2022, he said he would continue MONSTA X activities. Reporting from the group's July 16, 2025 press conference said that every member except I.M had completed military service by that May. The group announced concerts at KSPO Dome starting July 18 and a full-group comeback in September.

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MONSTA X at the Golden Disc Awards in January 2019. From left: Joohoney, I.M, Hyungwon, Kihyun, Shownu and Minhyuk.
MONSTA X at the Golden Disc Awards in January 2019. From left: Joohoney, I.M, Hyungwon, Kihyun, Shownu and Minhyuk.Newsen [뉴스엔 김기태 기자], CC BY 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons

What solo albums has he released?

Six years after his group debut, he released the digital EP DUALITY on February 19, 2021: the hip-hop lead track "God Damn" plus "Howlin'," "Burn," "Happy to die" and "Flower-ed." On June 23, 2023 came OVERDRIVE, his first album after moving to Sony Music; he wrote, composed and produced all six tracks, moving between trap, soul, R&B and jazz, and said he had packed in "the most I can express musically." The digital single "Slowly" (January 23, 2024) was his second collaboration with Heize, who featured on and co-wrote the song after their 2022 track "거리마다" on her album Undo. The third EP, Off The Beat (April 3, 2024), carried six tracks including the lead "LURE," all with his writing and production credits, and passed 100,000 first-week copies to earn a Hanteo Chart bronze certification. During the Sony years he also toured the world from May 2024 to January 2025.

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I.M on SBS Radio in July 2023, during promotions for OVERDRIVE.
I.M on SBS Radio in July 2023, during promotions for OVERDRIVE.SBS Radio, CC BY 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons
Music video for "OVERDRIVE," the lead track of his first album after joining Sony Music (2023).I.M · official channel · YouTube
Music video for "LURE," the lead track of the EP Off The Beat (2024).I.M · official channel · YouTube

What agency is he with? Starship, Sony Music, and after 2025

Sony Music Korea confirmed on November 15, 2022 that it had signed an exclusive contract with I.M. He ended his contract with Starship Entertainment after seven years but kept his place in MONSTA X, saying the decision came after much thought because he needed "a new challenge." On September 15, 2025, Sony Music Korea announced that it and I.M had mutually agreed to end the contract; the label said he had "built his own musical world ever more firmly" over three years and wished him well in his new start. As a MONSTA X member he continues under Starship Entertainment. The September 15, 2025 report did not name a new agency for his solo work.

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When did he enlist, and when is he discharged?

MONSTA X played the Seoul dates of its world tour THE X : NEXUS with all six members at KSPO Dome in Olympic Park from January 30 to February 1, 2026, and on the final night I.M shaved his head on stage, eight days before enlisting. On the afternoon of February 9, 2026 he entered the Army Training Center in South Chungcheong Province to begin active-duty service. No official event or fan gathering was held, but the other five members turned up to see him off. He was the last member of the group to enlist; Hyungwon had been discharged in May 2025. His reported expected discharge date is August 8, 2027.

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What is MONSTA X doing while I.M serves?

The first concert after his enlistment was the Asian opener of THE X : NEXUS at Thunder Dome, Muang Thong Thani in Bangkok on March 7, 2026; the five members split I.M's parts among themselves, and the report announced a Malaysia show for March 28. On April 3 the group released its third US studio album, Unfold. Sports Donga reported that it entered the Billboard 200, making all three of the group's US albums Billboard 200 entries, and reached No. 2 on Top Album Sales and No. 37 on the Artist 100; the lead track is "heal." On September 4 the five members released the EP The Phase, the group's first Korean album in about a year, without I.M. Its lead track is "MAGIC."

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Music video for "MAGIC," released with the September 2026 EP The Phase by the five members while I.M serves.STARSHIP · official channel · YouTube

For fans in Thailand: the Bangkok shows

The March 7, 2026 concert at Thunder Dome, Muang Thong Thani in Bangkok was MONSTA X's first solo concert in Thailand in about seven years, since 2019, and the group's first show after I.M's enlistment on February 9.

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What was MONSTA X's 2025 full-group comeback album?

MONSTA X released the EP THE X on September 1, 2025. The September 15 report on the end of I.M's contract with Sony Music Korea also noted his participation in that MONSTA X release.

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Further reading

Read next

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Sources

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Cite this page

“Who is Changkyun, MONSTA X's I.M? Real name, solo albums, agency, enlistment and discharge dates.” Hallyu Wiki. https://hallyu.wiki/en/guides/changkyun-im-faq/ (Retrieved 2026-10-21).

How this article was made: read official statements, court/regulator records and at least two independent outlets; community posts are used only as attention signals. Written by Hallyu Wiki editors with AI assistance — check the sources. Request a correction