Blackpink’s Jennie, Itzy’s Lia, Got7’s Mark and the Korean ‘silver spoon’ idols who enjoyed privilege and lavish lives long before K-pop fame

Jul 2 , 2020

DId Jennie from Blackpink, Mark from Got7 or Itzy’s Lia ever need to find fame for money? Photo: Instagram

Luxury clothes and bags, exclusive schooling, expensive travel: the privileged lifestyle of some of K-pop’s elite before they became famous

True K-pop fans know all about their favourite idols’ lives, voraciously reading up their background and upbringings long before they found fame. And while some Korean stars hail from surprisingly humble backgrounds – enduring hunger and cockroaches – there are a few famous faces who were born with silver spoons in their mouths. From business-savvy parents to going to expensive international schools, here are the idols that have come from wealthy backgrounds.

Itzy’s Lia

Lia attended North London Collegiate School Jeju, one of South Korea’s most expensive schools, with a yearly tuition and accommodation fee of over 60 million won (US$50,000). Some of her childhood years were spent in Canada, and she debated whether she wanted to go to America or the UK for college. She was spotted toting luxury bags from the likes of Louis Vuitton and Gucci at a young age, and loved to travel internationally with her parents.

Got7’s Mark

Mark used to live in Los Angeles with his retired businessman father. He once took a plane from Thailand to Switzerland just to snowboard, and is known to book out the whole first class cabin of commercial aircraft when he travels alone. Hardly a life of hardship.

Iz*One’s Chaeyeon and Itzy’s Chaeryeong