Some of our dreams in life don’t always work out, and for the Korean stars in this list, their missed opportunity in one career ended up prepping them for better things. Below, we round up eight successful actors who actually started out as K-pop idol trainees.
K-Drama Actors Who Began as Idol Trainees:
1. Kim Min Kyu
Before he rose to fame in Business Proposal, Kim Min Kyu trained for the idol life with some of the current members of Seventeen. This stint was short lived after he called it quits just a month later, stating that he “wasn’t extremely good at singing” and the he was “really bad at dancing.” Despite this, he still manages to showcase his singing chops on OSTs for dramas like Special Law on Romance and Drunk in Good Taste.
2. Ahn Hyo Seop
Just like his Business Proposal co-star, Ahn Hyo Seop was also a trainee who was almost part of GOT7. His former agency, JYP Entertainment, scouted him when he was just a university student. Unfortunately, Hyo Seop’s idol dreams were dashed when he didn’t make it to the group’s lineup because he was just too tall. In 2016, Hyo Seop eventually debuted with a project group named One O One alongside three other fellow actors. The group presumably disbanded in 2019 due to inactivity.
3. Kim Min Jae
Kim Min Jae trained as a rapper for around four years under the Korean agency CJ ENM. During that time, he also appeared in several K-dramas with small guest stints and cameos to his name. Min Jae soon fell in love with acting and shifted his focus, which turned out to be the right choice for the actor who rose to fame in shows like Tempted, Dr. Romantic, and Do You Like Brahms.
4. Lee Jong Suk
It was Rain and his drama Full House that inspired Lee Jong Suk to be an actor. In pursuing this dream, he ended up signing with the “wrong agency” who trained him to be an idol with the promise to also help him start an acting career. Three months into his training, Jong Suk quit the agency after learning that they weren’t going to keep their promise after all.
5. Seol In Ah
Upon being told that she could become an actor faster after becoming a singer, Seol In Ah trained as an idol for three years and nine months. She did this alongside KARA member Heo Young Ji. Now a full-fledged actress, In Ah revealed in an interview that she doesn’t regret the years she spent as a trainee since it helped her to be “quick-witted, and I was able to learn singing, dancing, and acting, which helps [as an actress].”
6. Ku Hye Sun
Boys Over Flowers star Ku Hye Sun originally pursued singing as a trainee in SM Entertainment and DSP Media. When she failed to debut in both companies, she signed with YG Entertainment and was advised to take up acting instead, which turned out to work wonders for her career in the entertainment industry.
7. Park Shin Hye
While she wasn’t exactly being primed to joined a group, Park Shin Hye still signed with an agency to train as a vocalist under the guidance of Korean balladeer Lee Seung Hwan. In the process, she appeared in a few music videos, leading Seung Hwan to notice that she seemed more interested in acting rather than singing. Shin Hye made her acting debut in 2003 with a supporting role in Stairway to Heaven, which won her the Best Young Actress award at the 2003 SBS Drama Awards.
8. Yoo In Na
Goblin actress Yoo In Na demonstrated unwavering resilience when she once trained as an idol for 11 years! "Every time I had thoughts about quitting, suddenly little opportunities would roll in and I would think to myself 'It's meant to be' and continued on,” she once said in an interview. As per In Na, she almost debuted in a four-member girl group but opted to purse acting instead after the success of her drama High Kick Through The Roof.
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