From K-pop idols to office workers and business owners: Why former girl group stars are starting over

They once performed on stage as members of some of K-pop’s best-known girl groups. Now, some are clocking in at offices, collecting regular paychecks or running their own businesses.

Former members of Jewelry, 4Minute and EXID have recently opened up about choosing new careers after years in entertainment, shedding light on the less glamorous reality of K-pop: Even membership in a successful group does not guarantee steady work or income once the spotlight fades.

For them, the career changes are not stories of failure but attempts to find stability and discover what else they can do beyond performing.

Former Jewelry member Ha Joo-yeon revealed on the YouTube channel “35-year-old Noh Sa-yeon” on Oct. 22 that she now works as a manager at a kitchenware showroom.

The video showed Ha preparing the store before opening and choosing colorful work outfits to match its brightly colored products — a routine far removed from her years on the K-pop stage.

Ha spoke candidly about the uncertainty she experienced after her contract with her entertainment agency ended and she stepped away from show business.

“In the entertainment industry, if you’re not working, you’re unemployed,” she said. “You can only go somewhere if someone calls you. How long are you supposed to wait for that?”

Her reason for finding another job was straightforward.

“You have to make money to live,” she said.

Before landing her current position, Ha worked part-time at a cafe and as an assistant instructor at a bakery. She also submitted applications to hundreds of employers through job search websites.

Now, she said, she appreciates the predictability that comes with salaried employment.

“As long as the company doesn’t go under, I can get a paycheck regularly,” she said.

Interacting with customers can be challenging because people still recognize her, but Ha said she enjoys the experience because it is an opportunity she would not ordinarily have had.

Former 4Minute member Kwon So-hyun has taken a different route, moving behind the scenes of the same industry in which she made her name.

Kwon said through her personal channel on Oct. 23 that she is now working as a producer at Cube Entertainment, the agency where she debuted and spent 4Minute’s peak years.

About six months into the job, she works on lyrics and A&R-related tasks and has been involved in planning and sourcing music for girl group LIGHTSUM’s Japanese album.

Kwon said her decision came partly from a desire to help younger artists and partly from questions she had wrestled with while continuing her own entertainment career.

Despite 4Minute’s considerable popularity, she said she had never personally felt that she had “made it.”

“I thought everything about me was ambiguous,” Kwon said. “It’s not like I’m exceptionally pretty or exceptionally talented.”

She said she began wondering whether continuing to hope for another breakthrough amounted to giving herself false hope. That eventually led to a more fundamental question about what she wanted from life.

“I wondered whether there might be a place where I could make better use of myself and feel more alive,” she said.

Her new role has given her an opportunity to learn new skills while applying her years of experience as an idol from the other side of the K-pop industry.

Former EXID member Hyelin, meanwhile, has turned to entrepreneurship.

In August, she revealed on the YouTube channel “Human Story” that she runs a roughly 116-square-meter taco restaurant in Anguk-dong, central Seoul. She operates the business while continuing entertainment work, including DJing and musical theater.

Like Ha and Kwon, Hyelin said the unpredictable nature of entertainment work played a role in her decision.

“Broadcasting isn’t something you can do just because you want to work, so the income isn’t regular either,” she said.

Because entertainment jobs can arrive in bursts rather than providing consistent work throughout the year, Hyelin began looking for another way to build a more stable life.

But the restaurant has given her more than another source of income.

“All I’ve ever done is sing and dance,” she said, adding that running a business gave her hope that she could succeed at something else as well.

“It’s a new discovery about myself and a source of joy,” she said.

Hyelin also addressed the stigma that can follow celebrities who take jobs outside entertainment, with career changes sometimes interpreted as evidence that their show-business careers have failed.

“I think people tend to look negatively at celebrities doing other kinds of work, but this is simply another part of working,” she said.

All three women were members of girl groups that produced major hits during their respective eras.

Ha joined Jewelry in 2008 and was part of the group during the success of “One More Time.” Kwon debuted with 4Minute in 2009, with the group gaining popularity through songs including “Hot Issue” and “Mirror Mirror.” Hyelin debuted with EXID in 2012 and rose to wider recognition after “Up & Down” famously climbed back up the Korean music charts.

Yet their experiences illustrate the gap between the success of a K-pop group and the long-term career security of each individual member. Name recognition and hit songs do not necessarily translate into a continuous stream of entertainment work or predictable income years later.

Rather than waiting indefinitely to be chosen for their next opportunity, Ha, Kwon and Hyelin have each found another way forward — as an employee, an industry professional and a business owner.

Their stories also challenge the idea that leaving the stage for an ordinary workplace or a small business represents a step backward. For the three former idols, the transition has instead become a way to build stability, learn new skills and discover identities beyond the careers that first made them famous.

This article from the Hankook Ilbo, the sister publication of The Korea Times, was translated by a generative AI system and edited by The Korea Times.