Various Korean celebrities, from actors and actresses, and entertainers, to idols, have experienced walking towards a completely different career path before deciding to become faces of stardom. They have been working in careers that are sometimes their initial dream, sometimes a career they took to build up a future career, or a career they worked at due to their skills that stood out.
There were various frequent career stories among the celebrities, with some having their entertainment career as their first career, a career they took back when they were younger or after studying. Aside from these, there are also the usual stories of celebrities being scouted after being part-timers in different stores or auditioning for roles or the job. It is also a frequent story where celebrities were already facing the spotlight before being in the entertainment industry- but in a completely different industry.
There are celebrities who worked in the sports industry as either professional or amateur athletes and eventually became part of the entertainment industry. While there are a lot of athletic celebrities, they really had the experience to become part of the industry and winning sports competitions in various events. Here are some of the Korean athletes who eventually shifted careers (and some who became athletes while they were celebrities) and became notable celebrities in their new industry.
1. Kang Ho Dong
Kang Ho Dong is one of the most famous hosts and comedians in Korea and became the first comedian in history to win the Baeksang Arts Awards Daesang (Grand Prize) for Television category. This made him the first in history to achieve an entertainment awards Daesang grand slam, including the three major broadcasting networks, KBS, MBC, and SBS, and the prestigious Baeksang Arts Awards. Before being known as an amazing entertainer, he was first known to become one of the top Korean traditional wrestlers or also known as ssireum. He won multiple National Wrestling Championships in different weight classes, famously known for being unseeded, yet managed to defeat the legendary Lee Man Gi and went on to win the tournament. He was also widely recognized as the youngest ever Cheonhajangsa Ssireum Championship title holder. Another name he was called was "Devil on the Sand," as he went on to win the Baekdujangsa Ssireum Championship seven times and the Cheonhajangsa Ssireum Championship five times.
Famous Shows: 'X-Man,' 'Love Letter,' 'Star King,' 'Golden Fishery,' '2 Days & 1 Night Season 1', 'Strong Heart,' 'Cool Kiz on the Block,' 'New Journey to the West,' 'Knowing Bros,' 'Kang's Kitchen,' 'Let's Eat Dinner Together,' 'Barefoot Friends,' 'Great Escape'
2. Lee Si Young
Lee Si Young is a famous actress for her amazing skills and played a huge variety of roles in different genres of dramas and movies. She has been praised by viewers for her great portrayal of each and every role, especially for her portrayal of action-packed scenes, boasting not only her amazing physique but her undeniable athleticism. This can be rooted in her former career as an amateur boxer, which she learned personally to prepare for her role as a female boxer in a TV drama that was eventually not produced. What started as a hobby eventually became a competitive sport for her, as she started training seriously, despite worries from her agency due to possible injuries. She won multiple bouts but is most famously known for winning the women's 48-kg title at the 24th National Amateur Boxing Championships, making her the country's first mainstream celebrity, male or female, to become a national team athlete for any sport. She eventually retired as a boxer due to her recurring injuries, particularly her dislocated shoulder, in September 2015.
Famous Shows: 'Boys Over Flowers', 'Becoming a Billionaire,' 'Playful Kiss,' 'Poseidon,' 'Golden Cross,' 'Righteous Love,' 'The Guardians,' 'Risky Romance,' 'Liver or Die,' 'Sweet Home'
Pak Se Ri may be known to some as a prestigious guest in variety shows or a rare occurrence of being a regular cast member in a variety show or an entertainment show. And she indeed deserves the praise and the amazement among everyone as she is a legendary golfer, not only in Korea but has made her mark in the world. She is a professional and champion golfer who played on the LPGA Tour from 1998 to 2016 and was inducted into the World Golf Hall of Fame in 2007. She won 25 LPGA Tours and 14 LPGA of Korea Tours, becoming one of the golfers all over the world with the most LPGA Tour wins. Among her many achievements are the LPGA Rookie of the Year in 1998, GWAA Female Player of the Year in 1998, the LPGA Vare Trophy in 2003, the LPGA Heather Farr Award in 2006, the Associated Press Female Athlete of the Year in 1998, and the Bob Jones Award in 2020.
Famous Shows: 'Law of the Jungle in Cook Islands,' 'Law of the Jungle in Wild Korea', 'Law of the Jungle – Zero Point', 'Soo Mi's Side Dishes', 'Sporty Sisters', 'Three Park: The Second Heart', 'Serimoney Club', 'Wild Wild Quiz'
Ahn Bo Hyun is a very charming and charismatic actor who debuted as a model until he became an actor who made a mark in dramas for his great portrayal, no matter what the role. His charm is endless, as he was originally known for his serious facial expressions, but his puppy-like charm starts to show whenever he talks, especially on variety and reality shows. Due to his physique and height, many would have assumed he was athletic, and they are not wrong! He attended the Busan Sports High School as a teenager and received scouting offers from both basketball and volleyball teams as a student. But he ended up falling in love with the Busan Sports High School boxing club and even participated in amateur boxing competitions, winning bouts and achieving a total of five gold medals. This sport will become engraved in his heart until the present, but just as his hobby as he focuses on his acting career.
Famous Shows: 'Descendants of the Sun,' 'Hiya,' 'Dokgo Rewind,' 'Her Private Life,' 'Itaewon Class,' 'Kairos,' 'Yumi's Cells,' 'Military Prosecutor Doberman', 'My Name', 'The Backpacker Chef', 'Youth MT'
Kim Yeon Koung is a very notable Korean personality who stole the hearts not only of people from her hometown but overseas as well. She's popularly known among fans as Bread Unnie, in reference to her own YouTube Channel with 1.32M subscribers (as of July 2022), making her the first volleyball player to achieve more than 1 million subscribers on YouTube. But above all of these, she is the Volleyball Empress, a professional volleyball player with unending honors and achievements. She is an outside hitter and the former captain of the South Korean National Team, as she announced her retirement from the national team in August 2021. She was named the Most Valuable Player and Best Scorer at the 2012 London Olympics, where she set the Olympic record for most points scored. She was also the first Asian player in history to receive an MVP award in the CEV Women's Champions League and was the first player to have four entries in the list of those to have scored 30 points or more in a single Olympic Games match in volleyball.
Notable Guestings: 'Strong Heart' (Ep. 144 and 145), 'Running Man' (Ep. 257, 572, 573, and 574), 'I Live Alone' (Ep. 175, 176, 188, 205, 232, 233, 234, 300, 301, 356, 360, 412, and 413), 'Sister's Slam Dunk, Season 1' (Ep. 22 and 223), 'Infinite Challenge' (Ep. 496), 'Master in the House' (Ep. 122 and 123), 'Hangout with Yoo' (Ep. 45), 'Knowing Bros' (Ep. 239)
Upcoming Show: 'Korea No. 1'
6. Seo Jang Hoon
Seo Jang Hoon is a household name in entertainment shows, particularly famous among idol fandoms due to the nature of his variety shows, where he gets to interact with other prominent names in the industry as well. He won the 2015 SBS Entertainment Awards for Rookie of the Year for his appearance in the show 'Flaming Youth' and won various awards for his entertainment stints, such as the Excellence Award in Variety Show in the 2016 SBS Entertainment Awards, Top Excellence Award in Show/Talk Category in the 2017 SBS Entertainment Awards, the Entertainer of the Year Award in the 2021 SBS Entertainment Awards, and Best Male Variety Performer in the prestigious Baeksang Arts Awards in 2018. But before his entertainment career, he was first a professional basketball player and was dubbed the "National Treasure Center." He held various records, such as the league's all-time record for rebounds (5235 in 688 games) until January 2022, and became the only domestic player who led the league in both a domestic and overall statistical category in a single season until two decades later. He also has various Most Valuable Player Awards from KBL alongside his various championship wins.
Famous Shows: 'Fantastic Duo,' 'Same Bed, Different Dreams,' 'Knowing Bros,' 'Flower Crew,' 'My Little Old Boy,' 'Food Diary,' 'Reckless but Happy,' 'Trio's Childcare Challenge,' 'Five Cranky Brothers,' 'Ask Us Anything Fortune Teller,' 'Love Naggers,' 'Handsome Tigers'
7. Kim Dong Hyun
Kim Dong Hyun will always be seen as a funny entertainer, sometimes due to his talk spontaneity or sometimes due to his so-called faint-heartedness and indecisiveness in shows he stars in. His undeniable skills were recognized, too, winning the Excellence Award in Show/Variety Category in the 2020 SBS Entertainment Awards and multiple Sportainer Awards from the 2018 6th Korean Art And Cultural Awards, 2019 Korea First Brand Awards, and 2020 Brand Of The Year Awards. But before being an active entertainer, he was first called Stun Gun Kim in reference to the incapacitating weapon and was eventually labeled as Cicada Kim due to his fighting style, where he likes to take his opponents to the ground and never let them escape like a cicada. He was the first Korean to win in the octagon of the UFC and made a name for his professional MMA career, winning 22 matches, 9 of which were knockouts, and had a time where he formerly ranked among the Top 10 best MMA fighters in the world before his retirement. He also has his own YouTube Channel named StunGun TV, with 709K subscribers.
Famous Shows: 'Law of the Jungle in Nicaragua,' 'Great Escape,' 'Amazing Saturday,' 'Player 7', 'Master in the House,' 'Steel Troops,' 'The Strong Man 2', 'Naked Korean History,' 'The Return of Superman'
8. Yoon Hyun Min
Actor Yoon Hyun Min made his name after winning the Best New Actor in a Special Project Drama in the 2015 MBC Drama Awards for his drama, 'My Daughter, Geum Sa Wol.' But before venturing into acting, he was originally a professional baseball player in the early 2000s. He first joined Hanhwa Eagles, the Daejeon-based South Korean professional baseball club, in 2005. He would soon transfer teams, joining the Seoul-based South Korean professional baseball team Doosan Bears in 2006. He has never imagined becoming an actor until he develops a passion for acting after watching the play ‘Finding Kim Jong Wook.’ He then quit sports in 2007 to shift careers and take upon the main role in the play he formerly watched.
Famous Shows: 'Joseon Mystery Detective Jeong Yak Yong,' 'Discovery of Love,' 'My Daughter, Geum Sa Wol,' 'Tunnel,' 'My Holo Love,' 'Men are Men,' 'Racket Boys'
9. ENHYPEN's Sunghoon
Sunghoon, a current member of ENHYPEN and currently one of the MCs of 'Music Bank,' flexed his great talent and vocals as an idol. But before debuting as an idol, he first took the stage as an ice prince, excelling in figure skating, where he would eventually get scouted and become a trainee. He was a figure skater from 2010 to 2020, competing in various events and winning accolades. Sunghoon was the 2016 and 2017 junior silver medalist and the 2015 novice gold medalist of the Asian Figure Skating Trophy, and the 2015 novice gold medalist of the Lombardia Trophy. He also won silver medals at the 2013 novice competition and the 2014 junior competition of the South Korean Figure Skating Championships. He eventually retired as a figure skater upon debuting in ENHYPEN to focus on his new career.
Discography (ENHYPEN): "Given-Taken", "Drunk-Dazed", "Tamed-Dashed", "Blessed-Cursed", "Future Perfect", "Fever", "Not for Sale", "Polaroid Love"
10. Sung Hoon
Probably the name Sung Hoon depicts talent and greatness, as we have another Sung Hoon, but this time the famous and charismatic actor. He has always flexed his great athleticism and was frequently seen in either romantic roles or in roles where he would be seen near the water. This was because before debuting as an outstanding rookie actor, he was originally a swimming champion even way back when he was in the university. He has been training and swimming for 14 years and specialized in the butterfly stroke. He even shared during his interview with Jessi that he went as far as CR of National Championships in swimming. However, he reveals that he eventually decided to retire due to his deteriorating physical strength, which can be attributed to his spinal injury, which will be detrimental since swimming was a record game. Afterward, he found love in the entertainment industry and paved a new career, receiving awards for excellence not only in acting but also for variety shows.
Famous Shows: 'New Tales of Gisaeng,' 'Passionate Love,' 'Five Enough,' 'My Secret Romance,' 'Level Up,' 'Love (ft. Marriage and Divorce),' 'Woori the Virgin,' 'Let's Go! Dream Team Season 2', 'I Live Alone,' 'Carefree Travellers Season 2'
Here are some of Korea's famous celebrities who were also athletes, either professional, amateur, or competitive. It was great to learn how they eventually shifted careers and successfully made a mark in both industries! Who among them is your favorite, and who are your other favorite celebrity athletes?
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