Life after K-pop: as Jay Park retires, here’s what 5 more idols did after quitting showbiz – from Ahn Eun-jin’s YouTube videos to Lee Ji-yeon’s chef career and Lee So-eun becoming a lawyer
- ‘Hustle king’ Park announced his decision to step down as CEO of AOMH and H1ghr Music, then deleted his Instagram – but there’s still his upcoming soju brand, Won Soju
- A first gen star alongside S.E.S., Ahn Mi-jeong became an English tutor while Eunjin – whose Dia bandmate Chaeyeon eventually joined I.O.I – took to live-streaming
After tweeting the words, “If I ever retire or disappear make sure to miss me” on December 30, then posting his decision to step down as CEO of AOMG and H1ghr Music on Instagram on the very last day of 2021, Jay Park further fuelled rumours that he plans to retire from the K-pop industry altogether when he deleted his Instagram account on January 1.
While we wait for more news from Park, here we look at how other K-pop stars (and Korean celebrities in general) managed after leaving show business.
1. Former Dia member Eunjin became a live-streamer
Dia is a popular K-pop girl band including renowned members Chaeyeon and Yebin, who also took part in survival shows Produce 101 and The Unit respectively, becoming members of the resulting bands I.O.I and Uni. T.
In 2018, three years after Dia’s debut, the main dancer and lead rapper Ahn Eun-jin, often styled simply as Eunjin, announced her departure from the group. She cited health issues and difficulties in following Dia’s schedule as her reasons.
After two years of retirement, she returned to our screens as a live-streamer – or broadcast jockey, as they are known in Korea – often shortened to BJ. Appearing on the platform TVAfrica, the main content she offered was Q&As with her fans. But then in January 2021, following many malicious comments on social media, she quit being a BJ and the only platform she’s using now is YouTube.