IU’s net worth is US$28 million – thanks to top-rated K-dramas like Hotel del Luna and chart-topping K-pop tracks like Good Day – and she spends a lot of it on charity
Before she signed with Loen Entertainment, now Kakao M, IU lived in a cockroach-infested flat and her parents struggled with debt – now the idol is donating to fight Covid-19 and buying houses for her family
One such idol is Lee Ji-eun, better known as IU, who experienced financial hardships before her career kicked off, living with her grandmother in a small, cockroach-infested room. Before that, she was shuttled around various relatives’ homes because of her parents’ heavy debt.
But she knew she wanted to be in the entertainment business from a young age, even as her relatives mocked her big dreams.
She’s since released chart-topping tracks, performed sold-out shows and proven her versatility as an actress, starring in highly rated K-dramas The Producers, Persona and Hotel del Luna. Her net worth is reportedly now US$28 million.
So how does she spend her hard-won fortune? She gives a lot back, it turns out.
She paid her parents’ debt
IU established herself as a successful solo act from the very start of her career. In fact, the lead single of her third EP, released in 2010, “Good Day”, did so well that she was able to pay off her parents’ entire debt.