11 K-Pop Idols Who Overcame Initial Parental Opposition To Their Career Choice

While it is well known that idols have endured many hardships in order to pave the way and build their career, one obstacle that any rising idol might face is trying to convince their family of their career choice.

The initial disapproval they might face doesn’t necessarily mean that the idol’s parents aren’t supportive as much as it means that they simply want the best for their children. In this light, here are 11 K-pop idols whose parents initially held reservations to their career choices.

1. BTS’ Suga

Yoongi’s parents opposed to his choice of becoming an idol at first because it was their way to look after their son. Since they suffered a lot, they wanted their children to have a stable life by working an office job. Their opposition didn’t last long as they showed up among the audience in one of BTS’s concerts during their “HYYH” era. They have been very supportive of Suga ever since.

2. Girls’ Generation’s Tiffany

Despite auditioning and being accepted as a trainee for SM Entertainment, Tiffany’s father still tried to convince his daughter to give up the entertainment field and urged her to pursue a career in business instead. However, Tiffany insisted on following her dream and even told her father that his objection could have ruined her life, which made him ultimately allow her to continue the training program.

3. Kahi

After School’s former leader faced her family’s opposition once. Her father wanted her to attend a university, but her passion for dancing and singing made her drop out of college and run away from home. While she didn’t speak to her father for seven years after leaving her hometown, they reconciled in the end.

4. BIGBANG’s Daesung

Growing up in a religious family, Daesung’s dream of becoming a singer was met with initial rejection. He had originally expressed that he wanted to be a music major in university and be sent to a singing academy, but his father’s strong refusal was due to the fact that a relative had tried to undergo the same path before him and failed. Luckily, his father changed his mind after attending one of BIGBANG’s training sessions and has rooted for his son ever since.

5. Girl’s Day’s Sojin

On the MBC variety show “Quiz to Change the World,” Girl’s Day’s leader once revealed that when she was 20 years old, she left home without her parents’ knowledge in order to pursue a singing career. In the same episode, she received a heartfelt letter from her mother that moved her to tears.

6. INFINITE’s Sunggyu

Although his parents had wished for him to become a lawyer, Sunggyu had a different vision of his own. Since he was given an ultimatum between giving up his passion for singing and leaving the house, Sunggyu trained in secret until he graduated high school. He then moved to Seoul to audition and debut later as INFINITE’s leader and main vocalist.

7. Red Velvet’s Wendy

Despite being brought up in a family of music lovers, Wendy’s parents were initially against her pursuing music and wanted their daughter to focus more on her studies. However, their resilience didn’t last long as they eventually allowed her to audition while she was still in high school.

8. FIESTAR’s Yezi

Despite her parents holding reservations regarding her goals, the young rapper managed to persuade her parents to support her choice by showing a remarkable improvement in her performance skills.

9. INFINITE’s Hoya

Growing up in a strict household, Hoya couldn’t face his father about his desire to become a singer and ended up going against his father’s wishes. Although his dad supported both INFINITE and his son later on, their relationship wasn’t always on good terms. In an effort to save their relationship, Hoya took part in the KBS variety show “My Father” in the hopes of reconnecting with his dad.

10. Secret’s Hyosung

Although she was known to be talented since she was little, Hyosung’s parents opposed to her career choice. Thankfully, her dedication towards her dream helped change their mind and they eventually permitted her to pursue her passion for singing.

11. Apink’s Jung Eun Ji

The group’s main vocalist once opened up about how she almost gave up on her dream because her parents didn’t approve of it. However, her persistence and constant practice assured her parents to let her carry on and finally debut as a singer.

Hey Soompiers, what other stories do you know regarding idols before they debuted? Share with us in the comments below!

Esmee L. is a Moroccan lively dreamer, writer, and Hallyu enthusiast.