K-pop idols born into rich families are supposed to have smooth and luxurious living all their lives. However, they instead opt for an even more challenging lifestyle in Showbiz, where talent speaks louder than power. Well, we didn’t mean to underestimate the power that money holds— which ends up becoming the biggest contributing factor in people’s quest for success and fame! Thanks to their family wealth, they get a chance to showcase their talent before the world with the least number of obstacles. Some of them are either born as rich chaebols or have successful businessmen as parents. Either way, they exude glamour which isn’t very common!
Here are the top 14 K-pop idols who have been born in rich and influential families but chose to work hard to fulfill their dreams from being ordinary trainees to successful Korean artists. If we sound harsh at some places, consider us jealous of them, hardly living a life of hardship.
14. TWICE’s Jeongyeon
Jeongyeon is apparently the wealthiest member of the girl group Twice— thanks to her wealthy family! Her father is a famous chef and restaurateur, running several restaurants all around the world, specializing in intricate Korean cuisine. He had even worked for the former President of South Korea, Kim Dae-Jung!
13. NCT’s Chenle
Chenle is just twenty years old but already has a list of achievements people can only dream of. Definitely, it is because of his talent, but it would be wrong to say that his wealthy family background didn’t play a part in it. Chenle is the grandson of one of the most successful and well-known conglomerates in China.
12. GFRIEND’s Umji
Umji from the girl group GFRIEND belongs to one of the rich families of Korea, with her father being the owner of a well-known dentist group of the country called ‘Moa Dentist Group’. The group itself consists of twelve offices in Gyeonggi, nine in Kyungsan, seven in Jeolla, five in Kyungsan, and one in Chungcheong. In case you didn’t know, the Facebook page of Moa Group had sent a public congratulation post when GFRIEND made its debut in the music industry.
11. Super Junior’s Kyuhyun
Kyuhyun from Super Junior was born in a super-rich family too! His father is the founder of several educational institutions in South Korea and Taiwan. On the other hand, his mother has had various contributions, some of which include the establishment of an art academy and a guesthouse in the Myeongdong district of Korea.
10. Twice’s Tzuyu
Born into a family of self-made entrepreneurs in Taiwan, Tzuyu from Twice is currently one of the most glamorous K-pop idols making a mark in the Korean music industry. The maknae of her band, this 22-year-old girl, is the daughter of a businesswoman, who is a major shareholder of a hospital in Taiwan specializing in plastic surgery and several café in China and Taiwan. She seems to be living the life of a princess since her birth!
9. Blackpink’s Ji-soo
Although Jisoo seems to be tongue-tied about her family background, it is said that her father owns a large entertainment company in South Korea and is the descendant of a royal family from the Silla period. She has taken education from the School of Performing Arts in Seoul, which charges a huge amount of tuition fees.
8. ZE:A’s Park Hyung-sik
Call it whatever you want, but Park Hyung-Sik’s overall look screams how expensive he is! He is the son of the board director of one of the most luxurious vehicle brands, BMW Korea. No wonder even before making his debut as a member of the K-pop boy group, ‘ZE:A’, he had a roaring bank balance of over 16 million won, which has been confirmed by one of his bandmates. This 29-year-old artist is now a well-established idol actor, loved for his extremely humble personality and top-notch acting skills in K-dramas like ‘Strong Woman Do Bong Soon,’ ‘Happiness’ and ‘Hwarang’.
7. EXO’s Suho
Now that’s controversial, or more like, Suho himself making the matter controversial! According to him, he comes off from an ordinary family with his father being a professor at a reputed university and his mother being a former teacher at a school. However, the members say otherwise! He might not be a chaebol, but the financial condition of his family seems to be impressive.
The leader of one of the most renowned K-pop boy groups in South Korea, EXO, Suho has himself confirmed that he was once the neighbor of Choi Siwon, owning a lavish apartment building in the affluent neighborhood of Apgujeong in Seoul. That’s something next to impossible to achieve if you aren’t born rich! Moreover, he grew up playing golf, which is a hobby only the rich people of South Korea can afford.
Also Read: 9 Most Popular K-pop Groups Formed on Survival Shows
6. GOT7’s Mark
This 28-year-old American rapper, songwriter, singer, and model, Mark from GOT7, was born with a silver spoon in his mouth. His father is a retired businessman, currently owning multi-millions from the time he used to be active. His family owns several properties in Beverly Hills of Los Angeles. It was revealed that Mark once flew to Switzerland from Thailand just for snowboarding. Moreover, when he travels alone, he books the entire first-class cabin for himself!
5. Blackpink’s Jennie
Apparently, all the members of the world-famous girl group Blackpink have been born into rich families. However, Kim Jennie is far richer than you think! According to some rumors, her mother is the director and a major investor of the well-known entertainment agency CJ E&M while her father is the owner of a hospital. She was born and raised in a luxurious neighborhood in Gangnam-gu, a place where most of the country’s expensive real estate is located and are solely for high-income people.
4. 2PM’s Nichkhun
Ever wondered why Nichkhun from 2PM is dubbed as the Thai Prince in Korea and is addressed as royalty in his home country? That’s because of his princely good looks and family fortune! While his father is the President of a Thai trading company, his mother is the CEO of a leading pharmaceutical distributor, Union Medical, in Thailand. Born in the United States and raised in Thailand, Nichkhun has attended one of the most prestigious schools in New Zealand, Wanganui Collegiate School, which collects almost 50 million won per student in a year. In addition to this, his younger sister, Horvejkul Nutcharee, is a popular Thai actress.
3. BtoB’s Yook Sung-Jae
Widely known for his work in ‘Guardian: The Lonely and Great God’ ‘Mystic Pop-up Bar’ and ‘Who Are You: School 2015,’ Yook Sung-Jae is a member of the South Korean boy band, BtoB. He is also a rich kid coming from a family of businessmen. He is the only son of the President of an IT corporation dealing with semiconductors which is an empire capable of having a turnaround of multi-millions. Moreover, his grandmother used to run a large fishing farm in Paju, and it was his grandfather who had first introduced red carp in the country. We just want to know from him how does it feel to be ‘God’s favorite!’
2. Girls’ Generation’s Sooyoung
Sooyoung is a member of one of the best-selling K-pop girl groups of all time, ‘Girls’ Generation’, who has made the Korean music industry known across the whole world. Surprisingly, she has also grown up in a wealthy family. While her grandfather used to be the owner of a famous architectural company in Korea, the one which was responsible for building Seoul Arts Center, her father owns a large trading company. They seem to be owing a lot of property, including many luxurious villas in Seoul, around the affluent neighborhood of Cheongdam-dong.
1. Super Junior’s Choi Siwon
At this point, every K-pop stan must be well-aware of Choi Siwon from Super Junior being born as a chaebol. With his father being the former CEO of a well-known infant apparel company named Boryung Medience in Korea and his mother running several fashion brands, he is indeed born into the lap of luxury!
Moreover, his family reportedly owns Hyundai Department Store along with several other businesses and has enough money to buy one of Korea’s top TV and radio networks, MBC. Now that’s something we don’t get to see every day! Of course, he himself makes millions as a member of one of the most successful boy groups in Korea and an astonishing actor which makes him one of the wealthiest Korean celebrities ever.
Also Read: K-pop Idols who have Debuted Multiple Times
