Twice’s Jeongyeon and 4 more K-pop idols with famous parents – whose dad was once called the ‘Korean Michael Jackson’?

Apr 14 , 2021

From left, Jeongyeon from Twice, Hyunsik from BtoB and Chaewon from Iz*One are just three K-pop icons with famous parents. Photo: @jungyeontwice, @imhyunsik, @chaewonizone/Instagram

Just as Hollywood has Brooklyn Beckham and Kaia Crawford, the K-pop world boasts second-generation celebrities in StayC’s Sieun and Iz*One’s Kim Chae-won

BtoB’s Hyunsik has famous folk singer Im Ji-hoon for a father, while CLC’s Sorn was born in Thailand where her actor dad is now a member of parliament

As the K-pop industry becomes increasingly saturated, it’s becoming more difficult for aspiring idols to get noticed. While household names BTS were a classic dark horse story, with some members even going from rags to riches, it doesn’t shake out that way for every idol. In fact, some of the hottest rookies on stage today have famous parents, prompting us to wonder whether these up-and-comers enjoyed a boost from their celebrity connections …

Iz*One’s Kim Chae-won

While Kim Chae-won made her debut in Iz*One after winning a nationwide audition programme in 2018, her mother has been working steadily in the entertainment field for over 30 years. Lee Ran-hee is a veteran actress and theatre performer. Although the two look very alike, their relationship was only made known in 2019.

Kim Chae-won’s mother Lee Ran-hee. Photo: Korean Broadcasting System

StayC’s Sieun

Sieun from K-pop girl group StayC. Photo: High Up Entertainment

Sieun was introduced to the public at a very young age. She first appeared in Kids are Life’s Blessings in 2014, a reality show that covered the family life of celebrities’ children. Why? Because Sieun’s father was none other than veteran performer Park Nam-jung, affectionately known as “South Korea’s Michael Jackson” in the 1980s.