What stars were doing before they were famous

1. Song Joong Ki - Speed skater

Song Joong Ki had trained to be a short-track speed skating racer for 10 years in DaeJeon. In middle school, he even won some events at the South Korea National Athletics Meet. Unfortunately, he had to all it quits after suffering a knee injury, but he was later able to display his skills in the drama "Triple."

2. Jung Hyung Don- Samsung employee

Jung Hyung Don was working a good, stable job at Samsung Electronics. But he took a big risk and handed in his resignation to pursue his long dream of becoming a comedian.

3. GOT7'S Jackson- Fencer

Before joining a K-Pop idol group, Jackson was sabre fencing for Hong Kong's national fencing team. He even came in eleventh at the 2010 Summer Youth Olympics in Singapore and took first place at the 2011 Junior and Cadet Fencing Championships. Seems the sport is in his blood -- his father was also a gold medalist in the Asian Games and a member of the Chinese national team.

4. Yoon Sang Hyun - Restaurant CEO

Thanks to his handsome looks, Yoon Sang Hyun raked in a lot of wealth as a boonshik (snack) restaurant owner, selling popular Korean snacks like ddukbooki and fish cake. Located near Kyung In Women's University, the restaurant attracted so many customers that he could pay off his monthly rent with just one day's earnings. He went on to purchase a house just one year after launching the restaurant.

5. Han Seok Kyu - Voice actor

You've probably seen other celebs try to impersonate the actor's trademark voice, so this is perhaps not too surprising. After suffering a hip injury during his military service, Han wrapped up his original dreams of becoming an actor because he didn't think he could keep up with the rigorous schedules. He was admitted into KBS' 22nd generation of voice actors in 1990. But one of his voice actor seniors urged him to pursue an acting career, saying: "You're a good voice actor, but you'd be a better actor." He took the risk and in 1991, was hired as an actor by MBC.

6. Ma Dong Seok - Fitness trainer

Before hulking out on Korean movies, Ma Dong Seok worked as a fitness trainer in the United States after immigrating there when he was 19. He has trained professional MMA boxers like Mark Coleman and Kevin Randleman. He even placed in a bodybuilding competition -- during his prime, he weighed 110 kg (243 pounds), with only eight percent body fat.

7. Lee Tae Sung - Baseball player

Lee Tae Sung was a member of the national youth baseball league. He actually had an opportunity to train with legendary baseball player Park Chan Ho. The two appeared together on an episode of "Please Take Care of My Refrigerator," and the actor could not contain his joy when his idol signed his glove. Unfortunately, Lee gave up on his baseball dreams after sustaining a shoulder injury. But today, he still lives his passion as a member of the celebrity baseball team, the Playboys.

8. UEE - Swimmer

Athleticism certainly runs in the singer-turned-actress's family! The daughter of a professional baseball coach, Uee represented her high school in the National Sports Festival for swimming.

9. So Ji Sub - Swimmer

So Ji Sub reportedly had zero interest in pursuing a career in acting. Prior to that, he he had trained for a decade to become a professional swimmer. He even won a bronze medal at a national competition! His coach was reportedly very upset when So decided he wanted to model instead.

10. Nam Sang Mi - Fast food employee

The actress was working at a Lotteria, a popular burger chain, in front of Han Yang University. Her boss was forced to let her go because her beauty attracted a flood of college boys, who lingered around just to see her.

11. Han Ye Seul - Reporter

Before becoming an A-list Hallyu actress, Han Ye Seul was an entertainment reporter on SBS' "Midnight Entertainment." She went by her birth name, Kim Ye Seu Li.

12. Lee Young Ae - Reporter

The actress also got her start in show business as an entertainment reporter. Above is an image grabbed from her interview with veteran broadcaster Lee Kyung Kyu's mother in 1994.

13. Suzy - Fitting model

Suzy's beauty was noticed long before her rise as the nation's little sister. At just 15 years of age, Suzy was already showing off her beauty as an online shopping model.

14. Soyu - Hairdresser

The singer was once wrapped up in rumors that she was the richest Idol stars because of her name, which translates to "possession." But she waved away the rumors, saying that she had grown up working several part-time jobs because her family wasn't well off. In her second year of middle school, Soyu even got a hairdressing license to make her own allowance. Soyu showcased some of her beauty expertise as a co-host of the beauty show, "Get it Beauty."

15. ChoA - Salesperson

Before her stardom as AOA's lead vocalist, ChoA worked as an IPTV salesperson. She revealed that she was nicknamed a "sales king" by her teammates, making up to 5,000,000 KRW ($4,400) a month! ChoA recently announced her departure from the idol group, however, so we're curious to see what she will be tackling next!

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