5 K-pop idols who started out as child actors: Astro’s Moonbin starred in a TVXQ music video, SF9’s Chani played a mini Song Joong-ki, and Exid’s Jeonghwa appeared in Three Wives

Nov 5 , 2021

Wanna One’s Park Ji-Hoon, StayC’s Park Si-eun, and Astro’s Moonbin started out as child actors. Photos: Maroo Entertainment, @stayc_highup/Instagram, @moon_ko_ng/Instagram

Wanna One’s Park Ji-Hoon starred in Jumong, The King and I and Iljimae before his debut with the boy group, while Chani appeared in hit K-dramas like Sky Castle

StayC’s Park Si-eun played younger versions of Park Min-young and Shin Haesun’s characters in dramas like Queen For Seven Days and Still 17

K-pop superstars come from all walks of life: some underwent K-idol training boot camps, while others broke into the industry purely by chance. But did you know celebrities like Astro’s Moonbin and StayC’s Si-eun actually started their careers as child actors?

Here, we take a closer look at the stars who ended up turning their early K-drama fame into K-pop stardom …

Wanna One’s Park Ji-Hoon

Former Wanna One member Park Ji-hoon debuted as a child actor at age seven. Photo: Maroo Entertainment

Before his debut with Wanna One after ranking second in the competition show Produce 101 season two in 2017, Park has appeared on multiple shows since the age of seven. The 22-year-old star’s acting chops were noticed in K-dramas like Jumong, The King and I and Iljimae. Park still gets praise for his emotional crying scenes in the shows. But after Iljimae, although he appeared in musicals, fans didn’t see him in dramas for almost a decade. In 2019, Park returned to acting as the lead role in series Flower Crew: Joseon Marriage Agency.

Park Ji-hoon in Jumong (2006). Photo: MBC

In an interview with W Korea in June, Park explained that he became mesmerised with dancing during his time in school, sparking his K-pop idol dreams. He added that his years as a child actor taught him to appear confident in front of the cameras, since he’s used to it.

StayC’s Park Si-eun