Beomhan (Harald Wu), a former K-pop trainee and independent artist, was born on January 31, 2001. As of January 2026, he is 24 years old. Originally from New York, he gained popularity through his social media content while training in South Korea before pursuing an independent career.
The Brooklyn-born host brings a unique perspective after spending four years as a K-pop trainee in Korea. His journey included battles with homelessness and mental abuse before he made the controversial decision to document his experiences on social media, leading to his departure from his agency.
Yes, there are 13-year-old K-pop idols, with famous examples like BoA debuting at that age, and more recent idols such as Haeun (Lapillus) and Seo Ha (Queenz Eye) also debuting very young, showing a trend of younger debuts, though it sparks discussion about industry practices and the impact on children.
Jihyo (TWICE) trained for 10 years before debuting. RM (BTS) trained for around 3 years. Lisa (BLACKPINK) trained for over 5 years in Korea, even though she's from Thailand.
The first openly gay K-pop idol to debut was Holland, who launched his career in January 2018 with the single "Neverland," making history by placing his sexuality and experiences with discrimination at the forefront of his music and music videos, including a same-sex kiss in his debut video. He funded his debut independently as agencies rejected him for his openness, becoming a significant figure for LGBTQ+ representation in the industry.
a day in the life of a KPOP TRAINEE! (in 2 minutes and 31 seconds)
Which kpop idol is LGBTQ?
Several K-pop idols are openly LGBTQ+, with Holland being the most famous as the first openly gay idol to debut, followed by recent significant moments like Bain (from JUST B) coming out as gay, and former idols like Jiae (WASSUP) coming out as bisexual, alongside others who have shown support or identified within the community, reflecting growing visibility despite industry challenges.
Yes, NewJeans' Hyein did drop out of elementary school (Munhak Elementary) and later middle school (Pyeongchon Middle School) to focus on her K-pop career, but she passed the necessary qualification exams to obtain equivalent certifications, and later transferred to homeschooling for high school, with her parents making the decision to support her career, according to Wikipedia, Nolae, and Fandom.
The K-pop boy band made their official debut with the release of their first EP, 17 Carat, in May 2015. Seventeen is comprised of 13 members — a mix of singers, rappers, and dancers — including S. Coups, Jeonghan, Joshua, Jun, Hoshi, Wonwoo, Woozi, The 8, Mingyu, DK, Seungkwan, Vernon, and Dino.
Jay, along with Heeseung, Sunghoon and Jungwon were trainees under Big Hit Entertainment. He trained for 2 years and 11 months under Big Hit Entertainment. He trained for two years and eleven months before taking part in I-LAND. He earned second place in the final of I-LAND (1,182,889 votes).
Yes, based on recent reports (late 2024/2025), solo artist IU is generally considered richer than individual BTS members, with an estimated net worth of $40-45 million, placing her as the wealthiest K-pop idol, surpassing even top BTS members like V and Jungkook. While BTS as a group is immensely wealthy, IU's solo success in music, acting (like in Hotel Del Luna), and endorsements makes her the richest single K-pop figure, according to various sources.
Same-sex marriages and civil unions are not legally recognized in South Korea. In October 2019, the Government of South Korea announced it would recognize the same-sex spouses of foreign diplomats, but it would not recognize the same-sex spouses of South Korean diplomats who serve overseas.
“The Bible never said being a K-pop fan is a sin,” Hannah Mallorca wrote in Philstarlife . “Supporting our favorite idols, groups, singers and even actors is not the same as our love for God … Only God has the right to set the standards of what it means to be (a Christian).”
The genre won't disappear, it'll continue to exist beside what is popular in the west. There will still be some korean groups and they will keep k-pop as we know it alive. Let's be honest, right now, kpop is expanding incredibly fast, with more groups debuting than can be sustained by the industry.
