9 K-Pop Idols Who Had To Endure Difficult Family Problems Growing Up

There’s a painful past behind these successful idols.

Many K-Pop idols had to endure hardships growing up, as some were raised in poverty. While other idols had to endure family problems during their youth. Here’s a list of a few idols who had to endure difficult family problems growing up.

1. Yeeun/Ha:tfelt (Former member of Wonder Girls)

Yeeun’s parents got divorced when she was only 12 years old, and she grew up with mainly her mother. Yeeun’s father would later ask her to introduce him to a producer, as he wanted to start an entertainment business. It was later revealed that Yeeun’s father had been arrested for committing fraud and sexual assault. While Yeeun cut off contact with her father, it was revealed that she may have to pay off all of her father’s debt, which totaled 18 million USD.

2. Dara (Former member of 2NE1)

Dara’s family moved to the Philippines during her youth, as her father wanted to rebuild his career. Dara decided at a young age that she wanted to provide for her family, so she became an actress and singer in the Philippines. While Dara was earning a lot of money, her father decided that he wanted to control all her finances. All of the savings eventually went away due to her father’s gambling addiction. To make it worse, Dara’s father soon abandoned the family for another woman.

3. Dayoung (Cosmic Girls)

Dayoung had quite the childhood, as her parents got divorced when she was just 7 years old. Dayoung’s father also had a lot of debt, but it was all under Dayoung’s mother’s name. Due to this, Dayoung’s mother had to work endlessly to try and repay the debt.

4. Wheein (MAMAMOO)

Wheein grew up with mainly her mother, as her father wasn’t there to support her during her youth. Wheein’s family also suffered from the insane amount of debt he had incurred. Her father eventually tried contacting Wheein after she became famous, but Wheein chose to cut off contact with him.

5. Hoya (Former member of INFINITE)

Hoya was extremely motivated to become a singer from a young age, to the point where he dropped out of high school. This didn’t sit well with his father, as he kicked Hoya out of their home due to the decision.

There’s more about Hoya’s relationship with his father in the video below.

6. Yoona (Girls’ Generation)

Yoona’s parents got divorced when she was quite young, and she was raised by her father. Yoona has never mentioned her mother, as she only gives thanks to her father during speeches.

7. Suga (BTS)

Suga’s parents were against his desires of becoming a singer from a young age, as his parents would even throw away his lyrics sheets. This eventually changed once Suga became a member of BTS, and his parents now fully support him.

8. Jun Jin (SHINHWA)

Jun Jin was born out of wedlock and was not looked at fondly by his maternal family. This led to his parents getting divorced, and Jun Jin was raised by his grandmother for a lot of his youth.

9. Leeteuk (Super Junior)

Leeteuk has one of the most heartbreaking stories, as his parents would physically beat him during his youth. Even after his debut, Leeteuk still faced many heartbreaking situations. In 2014, Leeteuk’s grandparents had been suffocated to death by their son (Leeteuk’s father). Leeteuk’s father then committed suicide and left disturbing messages to Leeteuk.

Do you truly believe you achieved success all by yourself?
— Park Yong In’s message