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Choi Ye Na talks about coming from a poor family and buying a home and luxury car after IZ*ONE

AKP STAFF
Posted by Sophie-Ha Tuesday, February 6, 2024

Former IZ*ONE member and singer Choi Ye Na has revealed her new home for the first time.

On February 6, Choi Ye Na appeared as a special guest on the YouTube show 'Don't Forget Your Breakfast 2' and revealed her home. MC Jang Sung Kyu visited Choi Ye Na's house and prepared her breakfast on this day.

Jang Sung Kyu, who prepared a Korean barbecue meal for breakfast, asked, "What's the reason for choosing this food?" Choi Ye Na replied, "There's a very sad story behind it. When I was a trainee, there was a barbecue restaurant open 24 hours nearby, and whenever I passed by, the smell was amazing, but I couldn't afford to eat there. At that time, the set meal was around 13,000 KRW (10 USD), but I didn't have the money. I thought that when I debuted, my wish would be to eat as much as I wanted there. Nowadays, I eat without worrying about money. I had (Korean BBQ) just three days ago too."

Jang Sung Kyu asked Choi Ye Na, who lives together with her older brother, "Have you ever wanted to live separately?" To which Choi Yena replied, "Too many times. It's annoying. The gaming console originally belonged to me, but he connected the game card to my credit card. Games are expensive, but there are payments of 100,000 KRW (75 USD) each time I check. If he wants to play, he should buy it himself, but he uses mine. I get really angry, and when that happens, I curse." Surprised, Jang Sung Kyu asked, "Did you bear the entire cost of this house you just showed us? Didn't your brother contribute at all?" To which Choi Yena replied, "That's right."


Recently, after moving into her new home, Choi Ye Na talked about the differences from her previous home, saying, "When I was young, having a fancy computer room like you see at a PC Bang (Net Cafe) was really a dream. There were only two rooms in my previous home, but now I have a dedicated computer room." She also added, "My brother said, 'I hope you are successful forever. I want to live like this forever. It's my dream'," bringing laughter.

Choi Ye Na also mentioned that among the members of IZ*ONE, she meets Kim Chae Won of LE SSERAFIM the most. Jang Sung Kyu asked, "Who usually pays for the meals?" Choi Yena coolly replied, "The one who earns a little more. Chaewon says, 'I'll pay. Unnie,' so I told her, 'Since you earn a bit more, you can pay.'"

When asked how they split the bill when all 12 members of IZ*ONE gather for a meal together, Choi Ye Na said, "We usually split it. How can we burden someone with paying for 12 people? There was a time when our bill came out to over 10 million KRW (7,500 USD). But we've also eaten at really expensive places before. The top BBQ places are really expensive, but Eunbi unnie paid."

Choi Ye Na, who has gone solo, was asked what she did after receiving her first settlement money from IZ*ONE. She replied, "Last year, I went on a family trip abroad for the first time. I went again this year." She also revealed that she bought a house for her parents in Yangpyeong, surprising everyone. Jang Sung Kyu was touched, saying, "She's a filial daughter."

Choi Ye Na also revealed the financial difficulties she faced when growing up. Jang Sung Kyu shared, "One of the reasons I became a freelancer was to repay my parent's debt. Can I ask how difficult was it (for your family)?" She replied, "I didn't know. My parents never told me we were in difficulty. But then, our house would get smaller every time we moved and it got to a point where I couldn't refill my bus card. Also, I was really sick because I had cancer as a child. So I felt really sorry. There was a lot of money that was spent (because of me) so I thought I needed to get stronger."


When asked if she had treated herself to any gifts, Choi Ye Na revealed that she had splurged on a luxury car from Mercedes Benz.


  1. Choi Ye Na
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whatever101
whatever10111,923 pts Tuesday, February 6, 2024 1
Tuesday, February 6, 2024

Yena has had a pretty successful solo career and IZ*ONE was obviously one of the biggest girl groups of their time but I am always in awe of just HOW much money some of these idols are able to make within a few years even if they're not BLACKPINK levels of famous.

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Betula
Betula10,526 pts Tuesday, February 6, 2024 1
Tuesday, February 6, 2024

I respect her parents a lot for never outright telling their children that they were struggling, financially. They didn't want to burden their kids, and they clearly supported them in their dreams! It's good that they're on more stable footing now, and it sounds like the family is still close.

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