Kang Daniel

In 2020, Kang returned to scheduled activities with solo reality show Hello, Daniel which premiered on March 4. On March 24, he released his second EP, Cyan, as the first installment of his colors trilogy project. Its lead single "2U" gave Kang his first top ten hit in Korea along with several trophies on The Show, Music Bank, Show! Music Core, Show Champion, and M Countdown. As part of the Pepsi and Starship Entertainment collaboration project titled "For The Love of Korea", Kang and Zico released their joint single "Refresh" on April 23. Kang participated in 88rising's Asia Rising Forever online festival on May 6 and the TikTok Stage online concert on May 25.

As of March 2020, Kang has ranked first on Idol Chart for over 100 consecutive weeks, making him the first and only artist to do so.

In January 2020, it was announced that Kang was chosen as the new brand ambassador for German sportswear brand, Puma. Later that month, Puma and Kang's first collaboration product, “RS-X Cube”, was released as a part of Puma's well known RS (Running System) collection. To celebrate the sneaker collaboration, Puma launched an offline promotional event in stores called the "KD CUBE ROOM". Visitors were able to enjoy exclusive content such as unreleased videos, new merchandise, and virtual video calls with Kang. In February 2020, it was announced that Kang would collaborate with KakaoTalk's emoticon service, Kakao Friends. From being widely recognized as an Apeach look-alike to being nicknamed "Baby Peach", Kang has constantly been linked to the Apeach character from Kakao Friends Muzi series. Designed by Kang himself, the collaboration line called "Apeach Kang Daniel Edition" featured goods that fall under the toy, living, fashion, and fan goods categories and were officially released in Korea and globally on February 7 and 21. In addition to these goods, KakaoFriends also released a limited edition beverage and dessert menu, sold in three cafes including Kang's very own Cafe De Konnect.

On February 28, 2020, Kang made a personal donation of ₩50 million ($41,000) to Hope Bridge Disaster Relief to be used to purchase goods such as health masks and hand sanitizers to prevent the spread of COVID-19. After Konnect was contacted to confirm the news, Kang stated through his agency, "I wanted to be a little help to medical staff who are struggling." On April 17, Kang went to The Snail of Love's office to visit the first of ten children who will receive a cochlear implant under the auspices of his and his fan club's names and provided her with gifts. A ceremony was held due to their combined donations exceeding ₩99 million ($81,000).

On January 31, 2019, it was reported that Kang would move to LM Entertainment after the end of his activities with Wanna One. However, on March 21, Kang submitted an application to suspend his exclusive contract with LM. His legal representative revealed that LM Entertainment signed joint business contracts that sold Kang's exclusive contract rights to third parties without his prior consent. On May 10, the Seoul Central District Court ruled in favor of Kang, allowing the suspension of his contract and his pursuit of individual activities as a celebrity, without the interference of the company. Following that, on June 10, Kang was reported to have established his own agency, Konnect Entertainment, for his future activities. LM Entertainment's appeal regarding the contract suspension was rejected by the Seoul Central District Court on July 11.

On January 3, 2019, Guinness World Records announced that Kang had set a new record for the "Fastest time to gain one million followers on Instagram", achieving the new record in 11 hours and 36 minutes after joining the social media platform on New Year's Day and breaking the previous record of 12 hours held by Pope Francis. Forbes ranked him as the fourth most powerful celebrity on their 2019 Korea Power Celebrity list, making him the only individual among groups in the top five. At the end of the same year, Kang was selected as the third most preferred advertising model by female consumers in their 10s in a survey conducted by the Korean Broadcast Advertising Corporation. He was also ranked as the 13th most preferred idol in Gallup Korea's yearly survey.

In June 2019, Kang established two separate yet related companies named Konnect Entertainment and KD Corporation. The name of the first is a fusion of the words "Korea" and "connect". He is legally registered as the Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of the first and the latter. With his activities in the entertainment industry managed by Konnect and all other business related activities managed by the latter, KD Corporation plans to branch out into various business directions in the future. In February 2020, a cafe located on the first floor of Konnect Entertainment's building in Seoul was officially open for business. "Cafe De Konnect" held an opening event on February 19 and 20 for fans before officially opening to the public on February 21. The event allowed 100 fans to get a free drink after showing their membership card from Kang's official fan-cafe on a first-come, first-served basis.

On June 12, 2019, Kang was appointed as the honorary ambassador of Busan. He was chosen through an event in April that allowed the citizens of Busan to vote for a person they thought was most fitting to promote the city. A formal ceremony was held on July 9, 2019 at the Sajik Baseball Stadium where he received a mandate from the mayor of the city. On the same day, Kang was chosen to throw the ceremonial first pitch for the Lotte Giants’ home game. Soon after his solo debut in July 2019, Kang became the model for KT Corporation, South Korea's largest telephone company. Considered a success, their collaboration generated the sales of 68,000 units and raised KT's pre-booking record by a total of 45%. He also became the face of restaurant chain Mexicana Chicken, which he had previously modeled for in 2017. On September 17, it was announced that Kang was chosen as the brand model for Givenchy Beauty. In a photoshoot for the October issue of Elle magazine, he showed off various looks using lip products from the luxury brand's signature Le Rouge line. On September 27, Subway Korea announced that Kang would be the new advertisement model promoting its Signature Wraps. Shortly after, he was selected as the new face for Calvin Klein Jeans. In addition, premium luggage brand, Rimowa, revealed its new collection in collaboration with Kang through photos and videos on Elle and Esquire from October 16 to 18.

In March 2019, Kang was back on the cover of Elle magazine endorsing Louis Vuitton as their new style icon. He and actress, Bae Doona, were chosen to lead the campaign for Louis Vuitton's Twist handbag. The new campaign was released through photos and videos on Elle and the brands’ official website a week ahead of the opening of the Louis Vuitton Twist Bag pop-up store in Seoul. This marked the first time the French fashion house had launched a pop-up store devoted entirely to the Twist Bag in Seoul, South Korea. Marking the end of summer and acting as an annual reset for the fashion industry, September issues have historically been considered the biggest fashion moment of the year for magazines. As a result, the chosen model who stars on the cover of these issues is of great significance. In September 2019, Kang was chosen to be the cover model for fashion magazines Arena Homme+ and Vogue. For his two version Arena Homme+ cover, Kang was seen modeling several pieces from Cartier's Juste un Clou collection after being chosen as a member of the "Maison Cartier" friends ambassador group. According to the magazine, they were able to feel the "Kang Daniel Power" when pre-order sales skyrocketed upon the news of him being on the cover was released. To add to his growing fashion portfolio, Kang was chosen as an advertisement model for Calvin Klein Jeans. The global fashion house stated, "Calvin Klein is celebrating its 50th anniversary this year, and together with Kang Daniel, we hope to commemorate the past 50 years in a meaningful way." Their collaboration was seen on the October 2019 issue of High Cut fashion magazine as Kang was the cover model of four different versions, sporting Calvin Klein Jeans apparel throughout the pictorials.

In response to the April Goseong Fire of 2019, Kang donated ₩30 million ($26,000) to Hope Bridge Disaster Relief. Hope Bridge reported in May the donations made in Kang's name amounted to ₩180 million ($155,000). In early December, Kang recorded ringtone services with KT for people with hearing or speech impairments for International Day of People with Disabilities (IDPWD). Ahead of Christmas, Kang donated ₩30 million in his fan club's name to The Snail of Love, a social welfare group for the deaf and hard of hearing. Konnect also donated 31,000 briquettes through the briquettes bank to thank fans for helping those in need on Kang's birthday.

In 2018, he was involved in several prominent solo activities, most notably as the main model for Davichi's "Days Without You" (너 없는 시간들) music video and as the main cast of the second season of It's Dangerous Beyond the Blankets. He was later awarded the Rookie Award (Variety Category) at the 2018 MBC Entertainment Awards for his work at the respective show. He also continued to promote with Wanna One, including as a part of Wanna One's unit "Triple Position" which won Best Unit Award at the 2018 Mnet Asian Music Awards. Although he concluded his contract with Wanna One on December 31, he still appeared with the group until its official farewell concerts on January 24 to 27, 2019.

In order to promote Korean culture, Kang was selected as an honorary ambassador for the special cultural exhibit at the 2018 Pyeongchang Olympics. In January 2018, Kang's name was included in Forbes Korea's annual list of 2030 Power Leaders in entertainment. The list was chosen by six separate panels of industry experts who conferred with Forbes reporters to determine the final line-up. In the same year, he was ranked as the fifth most preferred idol on Gallup Korea's annual survey.

In January 2018, two months after Kang was seen wearing a duffel coat designed by Los Angeles Project (LAP) to the Incheon International Airport, it was announced that he became the official model of the fashion brand. A spokesperson from the brand stated, "After Kang Daniel wore our coat, the response we received was really positive". They continued, "the product was sold out immediately and went through seven production cycles leading to the decision to select him as our model". LAP believed in his influential presence in fashion so much that it launched a separate streetwear line named "Kang Daniel's Pick - Edition" to better align with his style. The success of this collection was seen through the long lines accompanying the Daniel's Pick LAP pop-up stores in Japan and Korea. In June 2018, he was chosen as Chanel Fine Jewelry's newest muse, making him the second Korean male celebrity to take on the role. He collaborated with the French luxury brand for the July issue of Elle magazine which proved to be a success as sales for this issue, with Kang as the cover model, reached a rare high.

On June 12, 2018, Kang participated in the Ice Bucket Challenge to promote ALS awareness and also donated ₩2 million ($1,730). Two days later, the Seungil Hope Foundation reported its website crashed due to exceeded traffic and there were nearly a thousand donations since Kang participated in the challenge. In November 2018, photographer Cho Sei-hon selected Jung Woo-sung and Kang Daniel as two people he thought had positive influence in South Korea for his last Letter from Angels exhibition, a 16-year adoption awareness campaign. Two weeks after Kang was revealed as the exhibition portrait model, Cho divulged the orphan photographed with Kang was adopted. On December 10, 2018, Kang donated ₩12.1 million ($10,400) for his birthday to the Miral Welfare Foundation to be used for low-income vulnerable groups’ medical bills and living expenses.

In 2017, Kang represented MMO Entertainment in the boy group reality survival show, Produce 101 Season 2. He is known for finishing first in the final episode and becoming the center of the project boy group Wanna One under YMC Entertainment.

Kang officially debuted with Wanna One during Wanna One Premier Show-Con on August 7, at the Gocheok Sky Dome with the debut mini-album 1×1=1 (To Be One). During the preparation for this debut, he was also confirmed to join the pilot season of MBC variety show, It's Dangerous Beyond The Blankets, which premiered on August 27. In the same month, he was featured on the cover of Weekly Chosun magazine, one of the major news and current events publications in South Korea, with an article focusing on his popularity among the general public. Following the conclusion of the mini-album promotion on August 30, he was chosen as the first male celebrity to appear on the cover of InStyle Korea fashion magazine in its 14 years history for its October 2017 issue. He was also signed as a cast member for SBS's variety show Master Key, for which he was awarded the Rookie Award (Variety Category) at the 2017 SBS Entertainment Awards.

He was recognized for his brand recognition and marketing power, having topped both "Male Model Brand Power Ranking" and "Individual Boy Group Members Brand Power Ranking", published by the Korean Corporate Reputation Research Institute. He also became the first artist in history to spend 13 consecutive months at the top of the "Individual Boy Group Members Brand Power Ranking". By the end of 2017, he was ranked as the second most preferred idol in a survey conducted annually by Gallup Korea.

A year after debuting, Kang became one of the highest valued celebrities in South Korea's advertisement industry, reportedly making ₩1 billion (US$860,000) per one-year contract. From 2017 to 2018, Kang had multiple endorsement deals ranging from cosmetics, apparel, electronics to eyewear.

Kang Daniel (Korean: 강다니엘 ; born Kang Eui-geon [강의건 ]; December 10, 1996) is a South Korean singer, songwriter, and entrepreneur. He rose to fame after finishing first in Produce 101 Season 2 and is a former member of the South Korean boy group Wanna One. As the group carried out its promotions for a year and a half, it achieved both critical and commercial success, with all four of its albums ranking first on South Korea's Gaon Album Chart.