Celebrities' Hard Work Stories Paying Off Debts, Lee Do Hyun Used to be a Newspaper Delivery Boy and Former Girl Group Member Becomes a Streamer 18+

Kapanlagi.com - Not all celebrities work for fun. They even have to be willing to do any kind of work, outside of the entertainment world, to pay off debts that shouldn't even be their responsibility.

Here are some Korean celebrities who not only work hard in the entertainment industry, but also work part-time in cafes to pay off their family's debts. Who are they?

1. Lee Do Hyun

(credit: tvN)

Lee Do Hyun does not come from a wealthy family. His parents worked hard and had a lot of debt for the sake of the family's livelihood. Before becoming known as a great actor, Lee Do Hyun worked in various jobs to help his parents, including being a newspaper delivery boy.

Now, through his hard work in the entertainment industry, Lee Do Hyun's parents' debt has been paid off. He has even bought a house for his parents. Lee Do Hyun admitted that he trembled when holding the money used to pay for his new house.

However, Lee Do Hyun said that his parents still work hard like before because they feel that it has become their habit all this time.

2. Lee Sang Min

(credit: Star Daily News)

Fans of Korean variety shows must be familiar with Lee Sang Min, who often appears on various shows such as Knowing Brothers. Lee Sang Min himself was caught in a debt of approximately Rp 81 billion due to his failed business in 2005.

He worked hard by appearing on various variety shows. Lee Sang Min admitted that he starred in around 80 shows since 2012 and could shoot several programs in one day. Thanks to his hard work, Lee Sang Min has now paid off his debt and is estimated to have earned more than Rp 200 billion from appearing on TV.

3. Somyi Former DIA Member

(credit: Channel S)

Somyi left the girl group DIA in January 2022 after it was revealed that she became a streamer on the PandaTV platform. FYI, her streams are rated 18+ and Somyi often wears tight clothes that show some parts of her body. She can earn a large income if given 'gifts' by her viewers.

Apparently, Somyi decided to become a streamer to help her parents who were burdened with debt due to the bankruptcy of their jjampong restaurant. Somyi has worked at a mall, cafe, and as a model, but couldn't cover her expenses.

From the gifts given by her viewers, Somyi can earn hundreds of millions of rupiah per month, but she immediately gives it all to her parents. Somyi does all of this because she is afraid her parents will be stressed.

4. Ondoni

(credit: youtube.com/im.ondoni)

Jeon Heera, also known as the YouTuber Ondoni, revealed that her family was a victim of a murder committed by her own stepbrother in 2018. Her stepbrother killed her stepfather, biological mother, and step-sibling because he was angry that he didn't receive money from their parents. Ondoni claimed that she personally saw how her late father's body was mutilated and put into a car.

After this incident, she cried constantly and even had to drink alcohol and receive psychiatric treatment. Not only that, Ondoni also had to work to pay off her parents' debts and mortgage.

Her stepbrother, who had briefly escaped to New Zealand, has now been sentenced to life imprisonment.

5. Microdot

(credit: OSEN)

Rapper Microdot suddenly disappeared in 2018 after his parents committed fraud since 1997. As a result, his parents borrowed approximately Rp 4.5 billion from 13 victims and moved to New Zealand after taking the money.

Now Microdot works in a restaurant to pay off the debt caused by his parents' fraud. Microdot has successfully paid off the debts of 11 victims. The rapper's parents themselves were imprisoned for several years after being proven guilty.

6. Kwak Yoongi

(credit: MBC)

Gold medalist short track athlete in the Winter Olympics, Kwak Yoongi, comes from a humble family. While Yoongi was serious about being an athlete, his parents hid the fact that they had debts because they believed their son would succeed.

Kwak Yoongi only found out about his parents' debt after winning the Olympics and providing a house for his parents. It turns out the house was sold to pay off his parents' debt.

7. Hwang Jae Geun

(credit: Special)

Hwang Jaegeun is a designer who creates unique masks that cover the faces of participants in the show King Of Masked Singer. It turns out that before succeeding as a mask maker, Hwang Jae Geun went bankrupt and was burdened with billions of rupiah in debt.

After graduating from a fashion school in Europe, Hwang Jaegeun started his own brand and participated in various fashion events in major cities around the world. He became more daring in taking loans from banks and investors for his business, but unfortunately, the crisis hit in 2008 and he went bankrupt.

Hwang Jae Geun then offered himself as a debt maker on the show King of Masked Singer so that he could have a steady income and pay off his debts. Now, through this show, he has succeeded and can pay off his debts after 7 years of making masks.

8. Jang Mihwa

(credit: KBS2)

Senior singer Jang Mihwa has been willing to pay off her ex-husband's debt of approximately Rp 3 billion. She did all of that in order to have custody of her child.

During the divorce, her ex-in-laws wanted to take care of Jang Mihwa's child, who is the oldest grandchild in their family. If Jang Mihwa didn't want her child to be taken by her ex-husband's family, she had to help her ex-husband pay off his debt.

9. Mina

(credit: Star Daily News)

TV Personality Mina married Ryu Philip, who is much younger than her. Apparently, their married life is not that easy, especially since her husband can be considered financially insufficient.

Even so, Mina doesn't mind. In fact, Mina helps pay off her in-laws' debt.

10. Kim Sae Ron

(credit: My Daily)

Kim Sae Ron became the center of attention after last year's hit-and-run incident where she crashed into a transformer, causing businesses to be disrupted for several hours due to her behavior. Sae Ron admitted that she had to work part-time in order to pay compensation to the affected businessmen and to pay the penalty for the canceled project.

Previously, Kim Sae Ron's income was said to be used as capital for her family's business. Unfortunately, this statement by Kim Sae Ron is doubted after the owner of the cafe where her photos were taken while 'working' claimed to have never employed her.

(kpl/pit)