K-drama queens who almost became K-pop idols: from The Heirs star Park Shin-hye to Descendants of the Sun’s Kim Ji-won, who was once a background singer for Younha

Oct 11 , 2021

Not only can these K-drama queens wow us with their acting skills, but did you know that these actresses were also once K-pop trainees? Photos: @jiwon_hq, @ssinz7, @yoo_inna0605, @sunbin_eyesmag/Instagram

Yoo In-na from Netflix’s Guardian: The Lonely and Great God, and MBC’s High Kick Through The Roof was signed as a K-pop trainee for YG Entertainment at the age of 17

Former member of girl group JQT, Lee Sun-bin, has starred in a South Korean remake of Criminal Minds and action spy film Mission:Possible

Many K-drama actors and K-pop singers stumbled into their professions unexpectedly. Stars’ childhood dreams were often sometimes very different to their current profession – such as BTS’ V wanting to become a farmer and Cha Eun-woo aspiring to go into law.

Meanwhile, some popular K-drama actresses were actually training to become K-pop singers from a very young age, but ended up suddenly pivoting to a career in acting instead.

Here is a list of multitalented K-drama queens who almost debuted as K-pop idols.

Kim Ji-Won

Descendants of the Sun star Kim Ji-won originally used the stage name “JessicaK” and worked as a background vocalist for singer Younha. While Kim was not an actual K-pop trainee, she was actively engaged in singing, dancing and even playing the piano.

According to Allkpop, film director Jang Jin saw acting talent in Kim, and he went on to offer her a role in the movie Romantic Heaven in 2011.

The movie marked a successful debut for Kim and became a springboard for further success, as the actress went on to star in several hit dramas including The Heirs, Mr. Sunshine and Lovestruck in the City. Under the stage name JessicaK, Kim often played the piano during fellow K-pop diva Younha’s performances.

Park Shin-hye

Another The Heirs actress, Park Shin-hye also underwent idol training before her debut as an actress. Though many people might think her first gig was in the hit K-drama Stairway to Heaven, but it was actually in a music video for South Korea’s ballad king Lee Seung-hwan.