BtoB’s Yook Sung-jae was born into a rich family before he made his fortune: how the Mystic Pop-up Bar star manages to live a wealthy yet meaningful lifestyle
The swanky flat Yook Sung-jae lives in with Minhyuk and Eunkwang was revealed in an episode of Master in the House, but even before that fans knew his upbringing was special – here’s how he spends it
Melodies – BtoB’s fan base – already knows that Yook Sung-jae comes from a well-off family. However, their perception of him changed in an episode of All Year Live that aired in November 2020, because it revealed just how rich his family really is. Fans have subsequently dubbed him a “diamond spoon” – a title reserved only for chaebol families (those that run Korean conglomerates).
Entrepreneurial drive clearly runs in Yook’s family. His father is a successful businessman and CEO of an IT company that supplies semiconductors, with the company reportedly earning 10 billion won (US$9 million) in 2019. His maternal grandfather was a pioneer in importing silk red carp in South Korea, and his grandmother runs a fishing farm in Paju. His uncle also owned Space Max, a furniture enterprise.
So how was Sung-jae raised? And how does he spend his money now that he has plenty of his own?
He went to a prestigious art school and university in South Korea
Yook went to Hanlim Multi Art School, which may have developed and drawn out his talent as an actor and K-pop idol. The school counts Twice’s Tzuyu and Chaeyoung, The Boyz’s Hwall and Sunwoo, and Iz*One’s Kim Chaewon among its former students too. Tuition fees are 10 million won (around US$9,000) per year.
He enrolled at Dongshin University to major in practical music, but South Korea’s Ministry of Education revoked his diploma, citing the fact that he hadn’t attended enough classes to fulfil the requirements for graduation. Oops! He also briefly lived in the UK and in the Philippines.
He and his co-members live in an upscale flat
What do Twice, BTS, Blackpink and BtoB have in common? They all live in lavish flats. According to a previous episode of SBS’s Master in the House, BtoB’s flat is located in Sungsoo. The flat is around 1,993 sq ft (185 square metres) and is believed to be priced at US$1.5 million.
His secret to good skin? Affordable skincare products