20 Stars With Qualifications That Might Surprise You

Many popular Korean actors and idols have unique hobbies outside of their work that they’re so passionate about they’ve even been certified as experts! Others have gone through training to get licenses to help in their careers, often for an acting role or an appearance on a variety show.

The stars below all have certifications or licenses that you may not expect!

1. Girls’ Generation’s Yuri

Girls’ Generation’s Yuri is a certified scuba diver. Yuri, who’s known for being very athletic, took lessons on how to scuba dive back in 2012, and she put her skills to good use when she swam in New Caledonia while filming SBS’s “Law of the Jungle.”

2. Soyou

Soyou was certified as a beautician when she was in middle school, as a back-up plan in case her dreams of being a singer didn’t work out.

3. Choo Sung Hoon

Choo Sung Hoon has a certification in baby massage, which he obtained after the birth of his daughter Choo Sarang. Fans of “The Return of Superman” may remember that he showed his skills while taking care of Choo Sarang on the show.

4. Girl’s Day’s Minah

Minah showed that she took her role in the variety show “Ecovillage” seriously! She studied hard and got an excavator license so she could lend a hand in building homes on the show.

5. Lee Seo Jin

Lee Seo Jin has a license in operating electric water leisure equipment, which the actor and variety show star obtained so that he could operate a boat for tvN’s “Three Meals a Day.” He said that he’d found the writing test hard because he hadn’t studied in a long time, but that the practical test had been easy because he’d operated a boat a few times before.

6. Hyunyoung

Hyunyoung of the former group Rainbow is certified as a yoga instructor by the Korea Academy of Yoga. She has qualifications not only in teaching general yoga but also yoga for pregnant mothers, kids yoga, and ayurveda.

7. Min Jin Woong

Actor Min Jin Woong, who recently appeared in the drama “Father Is Strange” and the film “Anarchist from Colony,” is certified as a nurse’s aid! Min Jin Woong trained in being a nurse’s aid after his mother recommended it.

8-9. Lee Soon Jae and Kim Sang Joong

Actors Lee Soon Jae and Kim Sang Joong both obtained certificates in insurance planning so that they could star in commercials for insurance companies. A law was passed in 2012 that dictates that anyone who describes insurance plans in advertising must have an insurance planning certificate.

10. Oh Nami

Comedienne Oh Nami has qualifications in many different fields. She has certifications in water lifesaving and hair styling, and is also certified in researching seeds as a seed technician.

11. Shinhwa’s Kim Dong Wan

Shinhwa member Kim Dong Wan received certification as a ski instructor from the Canadian Ski Instructors Alliance while in Whistler, British Columbia.

12. BESTie’s Dahye

BESTie member Dahye is another female idol whose love for yoga led her to get certified! She’s not only qualified as a yoga instructor, she even literally wrote a book on the topic to help people improve their physique while doing yoga.

13. MAMAMOO’s Solar

Solar has three different qualifications that seem perfect for a role as MAMAMOO’s leader! She’s certified in being a recreation leader at retreats, and she explained on “Weekly Idol” that when you receive that certification, you also receive a certification as a “laughter therapist.” In addition, she has a certificate in “fun leadership.” When asked how long it took her to obtain them, she said about three days.

14. Crayon Pop’s Choa

Choa of Crayon Pop has a license as a cook in Korean cuisine, so she said she would like to appear on a cooking show one day.

15. Seo Ye Ji

Actress Seo Ye Ji has eight different qualifications! They include a certification in sex education, which she’s said she learned so she could properly teach the many children she wants to have. She also has certificates in balloon art and origami.

16. Kim Tae Hee

Actress Kim Tae Hee has a certification in scuba diving, which she got at her friend Honey Lee‘s recommendation. It helped Kim Tae Hee get over a phobia she had of water after a traumatic event in the past.

17. Lee Byung Hun

After trying to think of a hobby to take on while between projects, Lee Byung Hun ended up signing up for a class on coffee, and is now a certified barista. The actor even made pour over coffee for his co-stars on the set of the film “Inside Men.”

18. Park Ha Sun

Actress Park Ha Sun received a certification in aerial yoga, after she traveled to India to train and obtain an international license. Aerial yoga is a combination of traditional yoga poses, pilates, and dance that’s done while using a hammock.

19. Berry Good’s Taeha

Berry Good member Taeha is said to be the first idol to receive a license in operating drones! Whenever Taeha had a day off, she’d go to a training center where she learned how to operate drones. After about two months, she shared a photo of herself with her national certification.

Taeha’s agency stated that she’s been interested in ships and blimps since she was a child because her mother’s family ran a yachting business. Training in operating drones was a way for her to relieve stress while working as an idol.

20. FTISLAND’s Minhwan

FTISLAND member Minhwan loves fried chicken so much he got “certified” as a fried chicken tester! He took a test to become a “Chimmelier” (think “chicken” plus “sommelier”), which involved a written test with questions about fried chicken and a practical test where applicants taste pieces of chicken and identify what brand they’re from.

The test is more of a fun challenge than a real certification process, since it’s run by a food delivery app company, but it’s definitely proof of what a chicken expert Minhwan is!

Which certification surprised you the most?