Some stars were born with a silver spoon, but others were not as fortunate. Many celebrities come from average backgrounds (especially in this age of internet virality). Others even have to pay off debts. You may not believe it, but some highly successful Korean celebrities you know of worked hard and saved up to give back to their families. Family is important, and these Korean celebrities know it.

IU

Singer and actress IU (Hotel del Luna) lived a tough childhood. She was raised by her grandmother as her parents were frequently out to work hard to pay off their family debt. And after being turned away so many times by so many different agencies, IU finally found success when she debuted solo in 2008. By 2010, she was able to pay off her family’s debt and give her family a better life.

Hyeri

Before her successful idol-turned-actress career, Hyeri of Girl’s Day (Reply 1988) and her family struggled financially, with her parents needing to borrow money to send her to school. After her breakthrough, she paid off the family’s debts and bought her family an apartment in Seoul. She even gifted her dad a luxury car.

Park Bogum

#청춘기록
“기죽을 필요 없다구!” pic.twitter.com/7RrkDwiO9o

— 박보검 (@BOGUMMY) October 20, 2020

You might think Park Bogum (Reply 1988) has always lived happily, but his life hasn’t always been peaches and cream. While he was still finding his beginnings as an actor in 2014, he had to file for bankruptcy when his father was unable to pay off a loan with which Bogum was signed as co-guarantor. The loan was originally 30 million won (about 35,000 USD), but bloated to 800 million won (about 920,000 USD) due to interest. But he was able to pay off the loan after the court ruled to write off most of the debt.

Jung Eunji

Eunji (Reply 1997) first found success as the main vocalist of girl group Apink and later in her solo activities as singer and actress. But before all that, she lived a humble life, worrying about her family’s debt. She spent the first three years after debut saving up money to pay off the debts and took her mother on a trip to Jeju Island to give her the savings bankbook.

Chungha

Idol Chungha is now one of the top soloists in Korea, but she spent many years struggling to get there. After being a trainee in three different agencies, she finally debuted with MNH Entertainment, with which she found her breakthrough in idol competition show Produce 101. In 2019, she shared that she has finally paid off all her family’s debt. Her mother manages her finances but doesn’t spend her money, so Chungha herself decided to get her mom an expensive bag.

Suzy

Before becoming as famous as she is now, Bae Suzy (Start-Up) could be spotted serving up food and drinks at her parent’s restaurant. Her parents dreamt of owning a cafe. So after her breakthrough success with girl group Miss A and later solo activities, she gifted her parents with a house, a car, and a cafe, which they named Cafe Soo after the actress’ name.

Cho Jungsuk

건강하시고 행복하소서!!! ㅋ pic.twitter.com/quoj4bITcF

— Chojungseok (@jojeol) July 28, 2013

Actor Cho Jungsuk (Hospital Playlist) might be known for his fun and energetic personality, but his life hasn’t always been all sunshine and rainbows. In 2000, his father passed away, leaving him to take care of his widowed mother. He got admitted into the theater department of Seoul Institute of the Arts under student loans, but he had to give up his education to work and take care of his mother.

Park Shinhye

Park Shinhye started acting young, and she saved up her earnings for many years so she could help her parents open up a restaurant: Yangchulbuk Restaurant. When you visit, you might even get a chance to spot the actress serving tables in her spare time. Other stars are known to have visited and even frequented the restaurant, including Kim Heechul, Lee Seunggi, and fellow The Heirs costar Lee Minho.

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