Ex-K-pop idol Lee Jun-young details past financial hardships before acting success
Actor Lee Jun-young speaks about his financial struggles following his debut with K-pop boy band U-KISS. Captured from tvN
Lee to enlist in military ahead of 'Four Hands, Two Sonatas' release
Lee Jun-young, a former member of K-pop group U-KISS who later built a career as an actor, said he struggled financially after his debut as an idol and once worked an overnight shift at a convenience store.
Lee spoke about that period during an episode of tvN’s "You Quiz on the Block," which aired Wednesday. The appearance came as he has been drawing attention for his role in JTBC’s "Reborn Rookie," the latest in a run of acting projects.
Looking back on the years after he debuted with U-KISS, Lee said he often experienced the stark contrast between the image of a K-pop career and his own reality.
"When I watched major awards shows, my friends were receiving applause on stage," he said. "Even though we were in the same profession, I wondered why I was not in that position."
He said he had no domestic activities or solo projects at the time, leaving him with no income.
To make money, Lee said he took a part-time job at a convenience store and worked overnight. The hardest moment, he said, came when his manager, who had come to pick him up, walked into the store to buy cigarettes while Lee was behind the counter.
"I was so embarrassed that I couldn’t say anything and cried," Lee said. "I was ashamed because it was a side of myself I never wanted anyone to see."
He said he later heard that the manager also cried after dropping him off and leaving.
Lee said he pushed himself after that period in pursuit of success. He got scripts and studied acting on his own, and he kept trying despite failing more than 100 auditions.
"At the time, I often said, 'I will definitely succeed,'" he said. "From then on, I gritted my teeth and held on. Even when it was hard, I thought I couldn’t afford to get tired and had to keep going to the end."
Lee debuted with U-KISS in 2014 and has since built an acting resume with roles in "D.P.," "Mask Girl," "When Life Gives You Tangerines," "Weak Hero Class 2," "Reborn Rookie" and "Badland Hunters."
Lee is set to begin his mandatory military service on July 21. He is also scheduled to appear in his next project, "Four Hands, Two Sonatas," which is slated for release in August.
This article from the Hankook Ilbo, the sister publication of The Korea Times, is translated by a generative AI system and edited by The Korea Times.