The internet is full of struggle stories of idols who started with nothing in their bag and had to work their way up in the industry. Taehyung from BTS and Sandara Park are well-known artists who have battled poverty in the past. However, there are artists who, belonging to rich and influential families, left the comfort of their homes to join the entertainment industry and become trainees. Even though their stories are a lot different than the others, they still had to face tough competition and scrutiny from the industry to secure their place as idols and fan favorites. Here is a list of the top ten Korean artists with influential parents.
1. Jin (BTS)
One would be surprised to know that in their trainee days, BTS’s Jin supported a lot of his band’s financial needs. Being from a rich family and having a father who is also the CEO of a big Korean company has not stopped Jin from being his sweet, humble and kind self. He was recently named the most handsome man in the world on a popular Korean voting website, and we can surely vouch for the fact that it is not just his looks that are beautiful, but his heart too!
2. Jeongyeon (Twice)
We have seen multiple examples of celeb kids in the world who followed their parents’ examples and followed their steps to get into showbiz. Being in the limelight your whole life might even make you a little immune to its toxic nature. Jeongyeon is one of these celebrity kids. Her father, Yoo Chang-Joon, is a successful Korean celebrity chef who has appeared in multiple cooking shows, including the famous, Please Take Care Of My Refrigerator!
3. Chenle (NCT)
It’s hard to find K-pop idols as rich as this one. In a radio interview, the interviewer asked Chenle if he had to pay rent for his house in Korea and the idol replied by saying that his family had bought him a house there and proceeded to ask the interviewer about what giving rent meant! We wouldn’t blame him considering he comes from one of the richest families in China. He had released albums even before joining SM Entertainment, further proving his rich heritage.
4. Mark (GOT7)
Rapper of the famous boy band, GOT7, Mark Tuan is known for his luxurious lifestyle and huge income. He is said to own multiple properties in the US, apart from Korea, owing to his successful career as a K-pop artist. Apart from his individual success, he also hails from a rich background. His father is a successful businessman who would often travel to various countries for work. His family even owns several properties in Beverly Hills, Los Angeles. Mark himself has traveled to various countries owing to his family’s rich background.
5. Suho (Exo)
Suho’s father’s name is well known in Korea, owing to his political background and his success as a professor in the IT Finance department at a prestigious university in Seoul. Not only that, his father is also the former head of the Korea Institute For Health and Social Affairs. Hence, it would not be wrong to call Suho the most well-off member of the famous band!
6. Jennie (BLACKPINK)
These days, Jennie is raising temperatures in her American debut, The Idol, in which she plays the role of an artist struggling to make an identity in the entertainment world. Quite ironically, she is one of the most successful K-pop stars in the industry today. Even before joining the K-pop world, she was pretty well off, being a child of two influential Korean parents. Her mother is a shareholder in CJ E&M, one of Korea’s most successful entertainment companies, and her father is a hospital owner in Seoul.
7. Jay (ENHYPEN)
Jay is the only child of James Park, the President and Co-Founder of Sinar Tours, the first travel agency to have chartered flights from South Korea to Brunei. His father is also an investor in touring companies in Canada and the US. Jay’s rich background was clearly reflected in one of the ENHYPEN interviews where all the band members were seen recalling the time when Jay paid for their stay in a 7-star hotel during a vacation. The revelation left many fans shocked and surprised!
8. Nickhun (2PM)
Born in the United States, 2PM’s Nickhun was raised in Thailand and was later sent to New Zealand where he attended the elitist school, Wanganui Collegiate School, formerly attended by Prince Edward of England. The school is said to have a yearly fee of 20,000 dollars! This might be surprising to some who don’t know about his mother being the CEO of the Thai pharmaceutical company, Union Medical.
9. Mina (TWICE)
Jeongyeon is not the only TWICE member who hails from a rich background. Mina seems to belong to another influential family from Japan. Her father is a famous professor and surgeon in the country. Owing to her family’s wealth, she even attended one of the top private schools in Japan for years before coming to Korea to become a singer. She is also a trained ballerina, a fact not known to a lot of TWICE fans.
10. Siwon (Super Junior)
Known for his philanthropy and contributions to various UNICEF campaigns, Siwon from Super Junior hails from a super rich family in South Korea. His father was the CEO of the South Korean pharmaceutical company, Boryung Medicine, and his family is also known to own the Korean Slim Fashion line and a major Hyundai Department Store chain!
