Here are 10 Korean celebrities who began working for their dreams and aspirations right from their childhood.
1. Park Ji-Hoon (Born 1999)
Park Ji-Hoon is a singer and actor who became popular as a contestant on the competition show ‘Produce 101 Season 2’. Ji-Hoon finished in second place and debuted with WannaOne. After WannaOne’s disbandment in January 2019, Ji-Hoon began his solo career in March with the EP ‘O’clock’. Park Ji-Hoon made his entry into the entertainment industry as a child actor. His first appearance was in the historical drama ‘Jumong’, aired in 2006, as a supporting role. Park Ji-Hoon has also established himself as a distinctive musical actor through his work in musicals like ‘Peter Pan’, and ‘The Harmonium In My Memory’.
2. Yoo Seung-Ho (Born 1993)
Yoo Seung-Ho is a model and actor who became widely known after he was cast in his 2002 feature film debut, ‘The Way Home’. His mother had submitted his pictures to an ad agency, and Seung-Ho made his debut with a cell phone commercial. His first ever role as a child actor was in the television drama ‘Daddy Fish’. Since ‘The Way Home’, Yoo Seung-Ho has successfully established himself as a prominent child actor, and till date, he remains the same and has started in some amazing productions like, ‘I Am Not A Robot’ and ‘My Strange Hero’.
3. Astro’s Moon Bin (Born 1998)
Moon Bin is a singer-songwriter, model, and actor. He is a member of ASTRO, and is their main dancer, lead vocalist and the center. Moon Bin began his career as a child in 2004 as an ulzzang (Korean term used to describe someone with the ‘best face’ or ‘good looking face’), actor, and child model.He starred in TVXQ’s ‘Balloons’ MV as the younger version of U-Know Yunho. Later in 2009, Moon Bin made his acting debut in the hit drama ‘Boys Over Flowers’, as the younger version of Kim Bum’s character.
4. SF9’s Chani (Born 2000)
Kang Chan-Hee, stage name Chani, is the youngest member, the main dancer, vocalist, and rapper of the boy group SF9. Before making it big with SF9, Chani was already an established celebrity, thanks to his work as a child actor. Chani began his career as a child model in 2005. In 2007, Chani was cast in TVXQ’s ‘Balloons’ MV as a pair with Micky Yoo-Chun. Thanks to this, he was invited on ‘Star King’ as Yoo-Chun’s lookalike. This was Chani’s first-ever television appearance, and has since starred in several different productions.
5. Moon Ga-Young (Born 1996)
Moon Ga-Young is a widely acclaimed actress in South Korea. She has been a part of notable productions such as ‘Tempted’, ‘True Beauty’ and ‘Welcome To Waikiki 2’. As a child, she had learned and acquired many different skills such as the piano, cello, violin, flute, golf, skin scuba, ballet, and horse riding. Moon Ga-Young marked her entry into the entertainment world with an appearance in the 2006 horror movie ‘Bloody Reunion’. Ga-Young’s first lead role was the title character in the 2014 released 4-episode romance and mystery drama ‘Mimi’.
6. Kim So-Hyun (Born 1999)
Kim So-Hyun is an actress and model popularly known as the lead actress in the dramas ‘Love Alarm’ and ‘Hey Ghost, Let’s Fight’. She began her career with a villainous role in the popular TV series ‘Drama City’ at the age of 7.So-Hyun made her big-screen debut in 2010 with the film ‘Man Of Vendetta’. So-Hyun was cast as the main lead for the first time in 2015 in the teen drama, ‘Who Are You: School 2015’. Since Kim So-Hyun first started her career, she has appeared in over 50 TV shows, films, music videos, and concerts.
7. Park Shin-Hye (Born 1990)
Park Shin-Hye is an actress and singer. Shin-Hye is currently considered to be one of the most prolific actresses of her generation and has received wide recognition for her roles in TV dramas such as ‘The Heirs’, ‘Pinocchio’ and ‘Sisyphus: The Myth’. She became popularly known after she was cast as the younger version of Choi Ji-Woo’s character in the 2003 released drama 'Stairway To Heaven’. Shin-Hye’s first adult leading role was in the 2006 aired South Korean-Japanese melodrama ‘Tree Of Heaven’. Park Shin-Hye made her film debut in 2007 with the horror movie ‘Evil Twin’.
8. Yeo Jin-Goo (Born 1997)
Yeo Jin-Goo is an actor signed under Janus Entertainment. He is famously known for his roles in ‘Hotel De Luna’, ‘My Absolute Boyfriend’, and ‘Beyond Evil’. Yeo Jin-Goo had always dreamt of being on the screen and so he asked his parents to let him pursue acting. Yeo Jin-Goo debuted on the big screen in 2005, with the movie ‘Sad Movie’. He went on to be featured as the lead in several movies and television series such as ‘Giant’, ‘Moon Embracing The Sun’, and ‘Missing You’. He has been named the ‘Nation’s Little Brother’.
9. Nam Ji-Hyun (Born 1995)
Nam Ji-Hyun is an actress famous for her role in ‘Suspicious Partner’, alongside Ji Chang-Wook. She has starred in many dramas and movies like ‘100 Days My Prince’, ‘365: Repeat The Year’, and ‘Queen Seondeok’. Ji-Hyun is one of the most successfully transitioned child artists to an adult lead. Ji-Hyun began her career as a child celebrity and was cast in productions such as, ‘East Of Eden’, and ‘Will It Snow For Christmas?’. She was one of South Korea’s most premiere child actors.
10. OH MY GIRL’s Binnie (Born 1997)
Bae Yu-Bin, better known as Binnie, is a member of the girl group OH MY GIRL (debuted on April 21, 2015) and its sub-unit OH MY GIRL Banhana. Binnie is the vocalist of the group. Prior to becoming an idol, Binnie was a child actress and played several minor roles in dramas like ‘King Of Baking Kim Takgu’, ‘I Love You, Don’t Cry’, and ‘Beethoven Virus’.
