BTS’ Suga, IU, TVXQ’s Yunho and more K-pop idols that lived through poverty, cockroaches and hungry humble backgrounds
They might be household names now raking in the millions, but from 2NE1’s Dara to the late Goo Hara, of hit girl group Kara, these 5 Korean pop stars once had to struggle for their meals – and maybe that struggle helped them to succeed
Success can often mask the past. Many of these stars may now be wealthy household names, but their backgrounds were tough, which may have helped give them the strength to succeed.
TVXQ’s Yunho
Yunho is now known for his success with one of the pioneering K-pop groups, TVXQ. When he was young, however, his family went bankrupt and he had to provide for them and his younger sister. Later on, his father cut him off financially when he wanted to pursue being a singer, and he was left sleeping rough in subway stations. On January 2019 episode of The Beatles Code, Yunho brought up an incident where he was sleeping in the subway station under a newspaper and a homeless man woke him up saying it was his spot.
2NE1’s Dara
During her early days on a Philippines audition programme, Dara told fans about her childhood, stating that her father’s business took a downturn, leaving the family without money to even afford snacks, while she had to walk to visit her grandmother instead of taking the bus. Later on, she left the Philippines in search of a better career in South Korea, her homeland, and found success in YG Entertainment and 2NE1, who later went on to sell 66.5 million records.
IU
IU is known now as one of the most successful female solo singer of her generation. Her earnings in 2011 alone were about US$8.2 million and she continues to sell out venues even now, a decade after her debut. However, long before that, during her childhood, her parents fell heavily into debt, leaving her to be shuttled around relatives’ houses while they worked, until eventually she came to live with her grandmother in a small one-room home filled with cockroaches. She explained that her relatives mocked her for pursuing her passion in singing and told her to study instead.
BTS’ Suga
BTS is now a global name, with each member raking in millions. However, some of the members hail from far humbler pasts. Suga, for example, was born into a poor family. During their comeback special in 2017, he said that when he was first starting out during his high school days, he often had to choose between eating and transport. When he bought a US$2 bowl of noodles, he would then have to walk home. He also stated he was often not paid for songs he wrote. He would later further talk about his emotional struggles in his mixtape, Agust D.
Goo Hara
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