All of your beloved Korean stars whom you believed to be Korean are not, in fact, initially born in Korea. Most of those celebs are from different countries, either from birth or by blood. Some of them immigrated from Korea ages ago and then came back. Further here, you will come to know about stories of their origin. Revelations about their roots from countries such as Australia, New Zealand, Thailand, Japan, etc. Here, we go with our list of your most idolised Korean celebrities. Be ready to be starstruck once again:
1. Lisa
Lisa Manobal, well-known as Lisa. She is a Thai rapper, singer, and dancer. She is one of the members of the K-pop girl group Blackpink. They debuted under YG Entertainment in 2016. Here, in her description as an artist itself, we can see, she is Thai. Her ethnicity as well as nationality are Thai. But in 2011, she moved to South Korea after she auditioned for the record label YG entertainment. There she began her official training as a trainee. Lisa is also the first non-Korean YG Entertainment artist.
2. Bambam
Kunpimook Bhuwakul, nicknamed Bambam, is a Thai rapper, singer, and a member of the South Korean boy band Got7. He was born in Bangkok, Thailand. He passed JYP World Tour Audition in Thailand when he was 13 and then moved to South Korea to pursue his training as a trainee. He was trained for about three and a half years before finally being introduced in Got7. He also got his first pre-debut appearance in a reality survival program, WIN: Who Is Next. But in 2018, he returned to Thailand for the military draft.
3. Rosé
Roseanne Park, well-renowned as Rosé. She is a Korean-New Zealander singer and dancer. She was born in Auckland, North Island, New Zealand, and raised in South Korea. She holds citizenships in both New Zealand and South Korea. She attended an audition for YG Entertainment Australia in 2012. Two months later, she moved to Seoul, South Korea after signing a label as a trainee. Furthermore, became part of girl group Blackpink in 2016.
4. Mark
Mark Lee, professionally known as Mark, is a Canadian singer-songwriter and rapper. He was born in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. In 2012, he passed the audition for the SM Global Audition in Vancouver, Canada and then joined SM Entertainment as a trainee. He was introduced as a member of SM Rookies in 2013. But in 2016, he was confirmed by SM Entertainment with four other members and debuted as a member of NCT.
5. The8
Xu Minghao, well-known as, The8, is a Chinese singer and dancer. He was born in Haicheng, Liaoning, China. He had attended Beijing Contemporary Music Academy. He participated in the World Dance Competition in 2012 and got placed in the top 8 and, so he earned his nickname. Later, in 2014, he made his first-time occurrence on South Korea-based Seventeen TV and debuted as a member of the South Korean boy band Seventeen. He played a television role in Real Class – Elementary School in 2017.
6. Momo
Momo Hirari, better known as Momo, is a Japanese singer, rapper, and dancer. She is born in Kyotanable, Kyoto Prefecture, Japan. In 2008, she appeared in a music video for Lexy. She was initially spotted by JYP Entertainment in an online video. After successfully passing the audition, she moved to South Korea in 2012. As a part of being a trainee, she danced in various music videos. After the release of their first extended play, she officially debuted as a member of TWICE.
7. Ahn Hyo Seop
Ahn Hyo Seop, or Pual Ahn, is a Canadian actor and singer. Initially, he was born in Seoul, South Korea. But his family immigrated to Toronto, Canada, when he was about seven. Later, when he was seventeen, he moved back to South Korea. He was scouted by JYP Entertainment and became a trainee for three years. He claimed fame after his first leading role in a drama, Queen of the Ring, in 2017. Afterwards, he transitioned to leading roles.
8. Jay Park
Park Jae-beom, well-known as Jay Park, is an American rapper, singer, songwriter, record producer, dancer, and entrepreneur. He is born in Edmonds, Washington, US. He is one of the member of the Seattle-based crew Art of Movement. In 2004, he participated in a locally advertised talent audition, which was organized by JYP Entertainment. After the success of his audition, he was contacted by JYP Entertainment to become part of a Korean boy band. He moved to South Korea in 2005 to receive his training in dancing, rapping, singing, and the Korean language.
9. Han Ye-Seul
Han Ye-Seul is an American-born-South Korean actress. She was born in Los Angeles, California. She won the SBS Supermodel Contest in 2001. In 2004, she renounced her US citizenship and moved to Korea to continue establishing herself in Korean Entertainment. Then, she began her career as a model. She initiated her career as an actress with the popular sitcom, Nonstop 4, in 2003. Her birth name is Leslie Kim. After deciding her career as a model and actor, she took her stage name as Han Ye-seul.
10. David Lee Mclnnis
David Lee Mclnnis is an American actor and producer based in Seoul. He was born in Greeb Bay, Wisconsin, US. Since 1999, he has worked in South Korea. He debuted as an actor in the American crime thriller The Cut Runs Deep in 1999, which pushed the boundaries in South Korea. In Korea, his early role in the Asian film industry began as a supporting cast role in A Moment to Remember. Then, in 2005, he restored the limelight with a leading role in Typhoon.
