There are lots of interesting facts about your favorite K-pop idols, and some of them may be surprising. While most Korean stars were born in South Korea, there are plenty of those who lived abroad during their childhood. If you're wondering if one or more idols grew up in your country, just keep reading!
10 Korean Idols Who Grew Up and Lived Abroad Before Settling in Korea
ITZY Lia
Although all ITZY members are great at speaking in English, Lia is known to be the most eloquent one and so she often acts as the group's English speaker and translator when they have schedules abroad. It's no surprise as she used to reside in Toronto, Canada when she was a child.
Not to mention, ITZY Lia's stage name comes from her English name, Julia Choi.
AB6IX Lee Daehwi
You might have noticed that AB6IX member Lee Daehwi is a very fluent English speaker. Well, it's because he lived in Los Angeles, California for six years of his childhood. He also settled in Osaka, Japan for two years. His English name is David, while his Japanese name is Daiki.
Girls' Generation Sunny
Another female K-pop idol who lived abroad before she rose to stardom in South Korea is Girls' Generation Sunny. Like Daehwi, Sunny was also raised in Los Angeles, California - the only difference is that she was born there while the AB6IX member was born in South Korea.
A few months after being born in May of 1989, Sunny and her family moved to Kuwait but when the Gulf War began, they had to move to South Korea for their safety.
The Boyz Jacob
Besides ITZY Lia, The Boyz member Jacob also spent his childhood years in Toronto, Canada. In fact, he was born and raised there unlike Lia who was naturally born in South Korea.
His English name is Bae Jacob, and so his friends gave him the nickname "baecop" (belly button). It was in Toronto where he passed the audition and was selected to be a trainee under Cre.ker Entertainment (now called IST Entertainment).
Kim Chungha
Former I.O.I member and soloist Kim Chungha is fluent in English, which is something every avid fan knows. She spent seven to eight years when she was younger in Dallas, Texas, and used her English name, Annie Kim.
During her time overseas, Chungha attended Dallas International School.
PENTAGON Hongseok
PENTAGON Hongseok is also a K-pop idol who have lived abroad during his early years as a child. He resided outside of Korea for a total of 11 years and in three different countries like the United States (Wisconsin), Singapore and China.
NU'EST Aron
NU'EST member Aron is another K-pop idol who was born and raised in Los Angeles, California. He even graduated from high school in L.A. and shortly after his graduation, he relocated to South Korea.
Aron admitted the hardest part about moving to Korea was the language because he did not have enough background in the Korean language. Thankfully, his fellow NU'EST members helped him learn it.
BTOB Peniel
Peniel, one of BTOB's rappers, is one of the many Korean-American idols in the K-pop industry. He was born in Chicago and stayed there until 2010 when he flew to Korea to train under JYP Entertainment. Two years later, he joined CUBE Entertainment where he debuted as a BTOB member.
Former MOMOLAND Daisy
Although former MOMOLAND member Daisy was born in Seoul, South Korea, she grew up in Vancouver, Canada. She spent a total of 11 years there and that's why she speaks English fluently. She was one of the group's English speakers and translators along with Nancy and Ahin.
Former PRISTIN Sungyeon
The last name on our list of K-pop idols who lived abroad is former PRISTIN member Sungyeon. After being born in Seoul in May of 1999, she and her family lived in the United States, particularly in California, for nine years. She goes by her English name Shannon Bae.
While in California, Sungyeon attended Orange County School of the Arts. She lived in the same apartment as NU'EST Aron, which led to their younger sisters becoming best friends.
For more K-Pop news and updates, keep your tabs open here at KpopStarz.
KpopStarz owns this article
Written by Mhaliya Scott
