With the rise of Korean entertainment across the globe, we all enjoy one or other form of Korean Entertainment. Whether it’d be Korean music or Korean Drama.
The Korean Wave (Hallyu) is the term used to describe the international appeal of South Korea's cultural economy, which exports pop culture, entertainment, music, television dramas, and films. Hallyu is a Chinese phrase that directly translates to Korean Wave.
The advent of social networking services like Twitter, Facebook and Instagram, and online video sharing platforms such as Youtube, which have allowed the Korean entertainment sector to reach a large global audience during the 2000s, has also contributed to the success of the Korean wave.
In this article, we are going to be talking about the top 10 Korean celebrities who did their schooling outside of Korea, they are often fluent in English which helps to expand their fandom and this is only one of many advantages they have.
1. Chungha
Former girl group I.O.I member and currently a successful soloist, Chungha is fluent in English as she was raised in Dallas, Texas for about seven to eight years of her life. She is popularly known for songs like Snapping, Gotta Go, Bicycle…etc. When she lived in The States, she was known by her English name Annie Kim.
2. Dara
Sandara Park was born in Busan, South Korea, however, she lived in the Philippines for a time before joining 2NE1 and making her debut. She's a huge hit with Filipino K-pop fans, and she's one of the few K-pop stars who can communicate fluently in Tagalog. She is known for songs like I’m the Best, Fire… etc. All of which were released as a group 2ne1.
3. Lee Dae Hwi
Lee Dae Hwi, a former Wanna One member and AB6IX’s maknae(youngest member), speaks English fluently, which isn't unexpected given that he spent six years of his upbringing in Los Angeles, California. He also spent some time in Osaka, Japan. David is his English name, while Daiki is his Japanese name. Some of AB6IX's popular songs are Cherry, Salute…etc.
4. Choi Woo Shik
When in sixth grade Choi Woo Shik, his family relocated to Vancouver, Canada. He attended school in Canada till the age of 21, after which he relocated to Korea to pursue his acting career. Choi Woo Shik has stated that he preferred to speak English in high school, but that he now prefers to speak Korean. Drams he has taken part in are The Boy Next Door, Our Beloved Summer…etc.
5. Park Min Young
Park Min Young was a high school exchange student who was able to acquire English while studying abroad. She even has a name in English: Rachel. She is known for dramas such as
High Kick!, Dr Jin…etc. Park made her debut in the 2010 drama Sungkyunkwan Scandal, a coming-of-age drama in which her character, an educated and cunning young lady, disguises herself as a male in order to gain admission to Joseon's most prominent learning institution.
6. Han Ye Seul
Han Ye Seul speaks English as his first language. Her Korean is so excellent that you'd never realise she's Korean! Leslie, Han Ye Seul's English name, was born and reared in Los Angeles. She received education and graduated in the United States before moving to Korea to pursue her modelling career. She is known for Couple or Trouble, Tazza, Birth of a Beauty…etc.
7. BM
BM was born in Los Angeles in California on October 20, 1992, and raised there until he moved to South Korea in 2011, Matthew Kim, often known as BM or Big Matthew, is a Korean-American rapper, musician, composer, and record producer signed to DSP Media and located in South Korea. He is well recognised for his work with the Kard co-ed group from South Korea. A popular song by Kard is Gunshot.
8. Eric Nam
Eric Nam is a Korean-American singer, composer, and television personality. Eric Nam was born and reared in the city of Atlanta, Georgia. Nam earned a degree in International Studies and a minor in Asian Studies from The Lovett School in 2007 and Boston College in 2011, respectively, and spent a year abroad at Peking University in Beijing, China, Before deferring to join microfinance programmes in India, he accepted a position as a business analyst with Deloitte Consulting in New York City. Following that, he chose to pursue a career in the entertainment industry.
9. Ailee
Amy Lee, Ailee was born on May 30, 1989, in Denver, Colorado, and raised in New Jersey. Before moving to nearby Leonia, she attended Palisades Park High School. She went to Pace University to study communications after graduating from Scotch Plains-Fanwood High School but dropped out to pursue a career in music. Songs by her include, I will show you, heaven… etc.
10. Eric
Eric is an IST Entertainment singer-songwriter, dancer, and rapper who is Korean-American. He is the maknae of THE BOYZ, a boy group. He was born in Korea but was raised in California, USA. THE BOYZ is known for songs like Thrill, Butterfly…etc. They are also a team of strong performers.
There are many more celebrities in Korea who did their schooling outside of Korea, these are just a few of many.
