CHI CHI member Jiyoo became a hot topic after it was discovered that she had a unique personal background. Ji-U, who is currently a student of traditional Korean music at Ewha Women's University, graduated from Gukak National Middle and High School as a 'Korean traditional music goddess', thanks to her talent. Though the classes are notoriously demanding and challenging, Ji-U led her class as either a 1st or 2nd place student. As for her family background, her father is an executive board member on one of Korea's leading automobile companies and her mother is an elementary school teacher. The combination of Ji-U's looks, school records, and family background placed her on the list of celebrity 'umchinddals', or 'mom's friend's daughter', a term to describe perfect girls that others can only envy. A representative stated,

"Ji-U, who studied traditional Korean music since she was little, has an extraordinary talent for music. Besides playing the haegeum, gayageum and geomungo for her major, she can also play the piano and guitar well. After her debut, she has been busy completing many schedules, but hasn't become lazy with her specialty instrument, the haegeum. Soon you will be able to hear Ji-U's lovely haegeum performances through broadcasts."