8 Idols Who Quit The Celebrity Life To Live As Normal Citizens

Though these idols have left the stage, fans continue to send support their way!

Life as a K-Pop idol is great, but not cut out for everyone. While the reasons vary, these 8 idols decided the spotlight isn’t quite for them and so returned to live the non-celebrity life!

 

1. Kim Sung Hee (Former KARA)

Kim Sung Hee debuted with KARA in 2007 and promoted a year with the group before quitting in 2008. She was a great vocalist, but decided to pursue furthering her education and left the entertainment industry entirely. Since then, the public received news of her wedding in 2011. In January of 2018, she appeared briefly on a documentary that covered her husband who was imprisoned for denying to serve military service.

 

2. Sunye (Former Wonder Girls)

Sunye debuted with Wonder Girls in 2007 and remained a part of the group until 2015 when she officially left. Sunye was the first girl group idol member to get married while promoting, in 2013. She was also the first to idol to get pregnant and give birth while still remaining an active girl group member. Though controversial, Sunye got through the wedding and child birth, but could not avoid the criticism when she announced in 2014 she will not be returning to the entertainment business and will be focusing on missionary work. By 2015, she had quit the group and had her second baby. Sunye appeared on Stranger and shared glimpses into her life in the US as a wife and mother.

 

3. Hong Yoo Kyung (Former Apink)

Hong Yoo Kyung debuted with Apink in 2011 and promoted with the group until she left in 2013. Two months after she was accepted into Chung Ang University, she announced she will be quitting the team to focus on completing her education. The sudden news of her quitting the team surprised the fans. In February 2018, she graduated from the university, accomplishing the goal for which she left the group. She was spotted hanging out with the other Apink members as posted on member Eunji’s Instagram. Fans commented that it is good to see them remaining friends.

 

4. Choa (Former AOA)

Choa debuted with AOA in 2012 and officially quit the group in 2017. She first announced a hiatus, stating she needs to take a break from promoting with the rest of the group due to health conditions like insomnia and depression. The agency later confirmed that Choa has left AOA for good. Couple months after her withdrawal from the group, Choa was seen at a fan meeting for her modeling brand. Since then, Choa has been minimally active and is thought to be moving on with her life away from the entertainment industry.

 

5. G.O (MBLAQ)

G.O debuted with MBLAQ in 2009. While he never quit the boy group nor has MBLAQ officially disbanded, G.O did debut as a live broadcast jockey and mentioned he will not be returning to the entertainment business. He is receiving a lot of attention and popularity for his fun contents on his YouTube channel and other broadcasting platforms. He also recently got married to Choi Ye Seul, his longtime girlfriend.

 

6. Yulhee (Former LABOUM)

Yulhee debuted with LABOUM in 2014 and promoted with the group until 2017 shortly after her dating rumor with Minhwan of FTISLAND was confirmed to be true. The agency stated that Yulhee had no intention of returning to the entertainment industry, so fans believe she has returned to a life out of the spotlight. In 2018, Minhwan and Yulhee announced their wedding plans and have since appeared on several Korean variety shows.

 

7. Jisoo (Former TAHITI)

Jisoo debuted with TAHITI in 2012 and remained a part of the group until she announced her official leave in 2017. She mentioned battling panic disorder and depression before she quit the group. Prior to her decision to leave the group, in 2016, she went through a controversial rumor about receiving sponsorship offers which received a tremendous amount of attention and even some TV coverage. Fans believe this may have something to do with her decision to leave the entertainment business. Jisoo is now a pilates instructor.

 

8. Eunjin (Former DIA)

Eunjin debuted with DIA in 2015 and remained with the group until she announced her decision to leave the group in a handwritten letter in May of 2018. Through out the earlier months of 2018, Eunjin had not been seen actively promoting with the group and made the fans wonder if something is going on with her health. In her handwritten letter, Eunjin confirmed she has not been well since 2017 and that she wished to quit the team and go back to living a non-celebrity life. Since then, Eunjin has been interactive on her Instagram account where she shares pictures of her life.