10 Famous KPOP Idols Who Were Not Born in Korea, Including Rose BLACKPINK - Mark NCT

Kapanlagi.com - K-POP is often associated with Korea. There are many K-POP idols whose popularity has reached worldwide, in addition to being famous in Korea. Some laypeople or non-fans often assume that almost all famous K-POP idols were born in the Land of Ginseng.

However, not all K-POP idols were born and raised, and achieved success in Korea alone. There are many K-POP idols who actually entered Korea as teenagers, in order to undergo training. Including the following series of popular K-POP idols, it turns out that they were actually born outside of Korea.

1. Rose BLACKPINK

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Roseanne Park or known as Rose BLACKPINK is one of the very popular K-POP idols, both in Korea and internationally. However, for the general public, they may not know that Rose was actually born in Auckland, New Zealand.

Main vocalist of BLACKPINK didn't immediately grow up in Korea, but instead spent her childhood in Melbourne, Australia. Rose left Australia at the age of 15 to undergo training at YG Entertainment, before finally debuting with BLACKPINK.

2. Tiffany SNSD (Girls Generation)

credit via Paradigm Talent Agency

Tiffany is famous with her group, SNSD or Girls Generation. Despite being a successful idol in Korea, it turns out that the owner of the real name Stephanie Hwang was actually born in San Francisco, California, USA.

She joined SM Entertainment to undergo training at the age of 15. Now, Tiffany Young debuted as a soloist in Uncle Sam's Land, under the management of Paradigm Talent Agency. In the US, Tiffany Young released her debut single in English, 'Over My Skin.'

3. Krystal f(x)

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Just like her sister, Jessica Jung, former member of SNSD, Krystal f(x) was not born in Korea. Instead, she was born in San Francisco, California, USA. Interestingly, Krystal was discovered by SM Entertainment while she was at a mall in 2000.

In 2006, Krystal auditioned for the SM Casting System, and eventually made her successful debut as a singer and dancer with f(x) in 2009. Her career skyrocketed after that, as Krystal also starred in several famous Korean dramas, such as THE HEIRS (2013), PRISON PLAYBOOK (2017-2018), and THE BRIDE OF HABAEK (2017).

4. Jay Park

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Before going solo, Jay Park was first known as the leader of 2PM. The boy group formed by JYP Entertainment attracted public attention in Korea during their time. Interestingly, Jay Park was not born in Korea.

Instead, Jay Park was born in Edmonds, Washington, USA. He came to Korea in 2004 to undergo training at JYP Entertainment, before finally debuting with 2PM four years later. Despite that, Jay Park has had a successful solo career and has received numerous international awards.

5. Sunny SNSD (Girls Generation)

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Besides Tiffany and Jessica, Sunny also became a member of SNSD who was not born in Korea. Sunny was born in Los Angeles, California, USA. She and her family also lived in Kuwait before deciding to return to South Korea for safety reasons.

In 1998, Sunny joined Starlight Entertainment, which was still under SM Academy management. After spending five years as a trainee there, Sunny then became a trainee of SM Entertainment in 2007, and finally debuted with Girls Generation.

6. Joshua SEVENTEEN

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SEVENTEEN also has a member who was not born and raised in Korea. His name is Joshua. The owner of the real name Joshua Jisoo Hong was born and raised in Los Angeles, California, USA.

Joshua's first moment in the Korean entertainment industry was when Pledis Entertainment invited him to join a Korean Festival event in Los Angeles. At that time, Joshua was a guitar player. It was only in 2012 that he moved to Korea and became a trainee at Pledis Entertainment before finally debuting with SEVENTEEN.

7. Aron NU'EST

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Unlike Joshua who was already fluent in Korean when he moved to the Land of Ginseng, Aron, who was born and raised in Los Angeles, California, USA, faced difficulties with the Korean language.

The owner of the full name Aaron Kwak was accepted as a trainee after becoming the first champion of the 2009 PLEDIS USA Personal Auditions, thanks to his amazing vocal abilities. Aron finally debuted and deepened his Korean language skills along with the other NU'EST members.

8. Bang Chan Stray Kids

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Bang Chan, whose real name is Chris Bang, grew up in Sydney, Australia. Before moving to Korea, Chan completed his arts school education at Newtown High School.

After passing the audition, Chan then moved to Korea and became a trainee at JYP Entertainment in 2010. Now Bang Chan is the lead vocalist, lead rapper, and also the leader of the famous boy group Stray Kids.

9. Felix Stray Kids

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Bang Chan's fellow member from Australia is Felix. This famous KPOP idol was also born and raised in Sydney, Australia. Before moving to Korea, Felix completed his education at St Patrick's Marist College, a private Catholic school in Sydney.

Felix, who excelled in Taekwondo and swimming, then moved to Korea and became a trainee at JYP Entertainment before finally debuting with Stray Kids. Felix is well-known in Korea as he has also been an MC on several TV shows in the Land of Ginseng.

10. Mark NCT

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Last but not least, there's Mark NCT who is famous both in Korea and globally. Interestingly, this NCT rapper was actually born and raised in Vancouver, Canada. Mark also lived in Toronto and New York.

Mark Lee moved to South Korea after participating in and passing the SM Global Audition held in Vancouver, Canada. He eventually debuted and shined with the groups NCT and SuperM.

Those are some famous KPOP idols who were actually not born in the Land of Ginseng. Among these idols, do you have a favorite, KLovers?

(kly/tmi)