K-POP Stars Who Had a Difficult Life Before Finding Fame

If you think about it, the path to becoming a successful idol is not an easy road to take. Right now you may see your favorite idols basking in their fame and success but before they got hold of the glitz and the glamour, know that they had to work extremely hard first. But some idols struggled more than others as they did not come from wealthy families or families connected to entertainment companies.

Here is a list of idols that had it really hard before their rise to fame courtesy of Koreaboo.

IU

When IU was young, her family was in a very unfortunate situation, so much that it had led her being sent away by her parents to her grandmother as they are unable to take care of her and her brother at the same time. What's even sadder is that her grandmother isn't exactly doing well either. Her house even lacked enough heating. Before she became the IU that Koreans know and love today, she to face tons of rejections from several entertainment companies but thankfully, LOEN took an interest in her and the rest is history.

SUNGGYU (INFINITE)

Sunggyu's struggle was not like IU's and instead, it was about his parents not supporting his dreams of becoming an idol and because of this, he had to move to Seoul by himself after saving a small amount of money. In order to get by, Sunggyu had to work several jobs including one as a waiter.

BOBBY (iKON)

Bobby lived in the US before he became a trainee for YG. After passing a YG audition in New York, Bobby had to leave his family behind and move to South Korea. Their financial situation didn't allow him to see his family and he had to live alone in Korea. Luckily, after winning the Mnet produced "Show Me the Money," he finally had the means to at least move his mother back to Seoul.

SEO IN GUK

Before singer-actor Seo In Guk shot to fame, he and his family lived in poverty. In fact, their financial situation was so dire that they had to save up chicken bones so that they could at least have broth. Not only that, auditioning proved to be quite the struggle for the now 29-year old as he was constantly rejected because of his weight and because of that, he developed Bulimia.

TIFFANY (GIRLS' GENERATION)

Just like Bobby, Tiffany was born in the US and had to move to South Korea to pursue her dreams. Sadly, her mother died when she was young and unlike Bobby, her father did not approve of her pursuits and so she had to support herself in Korea by teaching English.

EUNHYUK (SUPER JUNIOR)

When Eunhyuk was a child, their family's financial situation was so unfortunate that they had to settle on a house that contained no bathroom. Because of this, they would have to go to the nearest train station just to use the bathroom.

YUNHO (TVXQ)

When Yunho was a teenager, he and his family were evicted out of their house and because of that, they had to resort to sleeping in train stations. In order to afford living in Seoul as he trained as an idol, Yunho also had to work a number of jobs such as shoveling snow in the winter morning and even waiting tables at night. Now, Yunho is a k-pop legend but his humble beginnings still amazes a lot of fans.

JAEJOONG (JYJ)

Formerly a member of TVXQ, Jaejoong grew up in a foster home with a big family. Because he didn't want to burden his family, he moved to Seoul by himself in order to pursue his dreams and there, he had to take up all kinds of jobs just to make ends meet. There was a time when he donated blood just so he could have something to eat. Jaejoong's early life may not be easy but right now, all his efforts had proven fruitful as he is now a respected figure in the k-pop world. Just recently, Allkpop reports that Jaejoong had been officially discharged from his military service and it definitely wouldn't take long for him to return to the limelight.

BOA

BoA maybe the queen of K-pop but she definitely didn't live an easy life as a child. Her family lived in poverty and upon her debut at the age of 13 with SM Entertainment, she became her family's primary source of income.

Tags
IU
K-Pop
idols
kpop
Sunggyu
INFINITE
bobby
iKON
Seo In Guk
BoA
Yunho
TVXQ
Tiffany
Girls Generation
Eunhyuk
Super Junior
JYJ
Jaejoong
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