While some of the richest personalities like Elon Musk and Bill Gates became successful despite being university dropouts, these stars left school to pursue their passion. From Jeon Jong Seo to Lee Yi Kyung and more, here are Korean celebrities who made it big in the industry despite being a dropout.
Jeon Jeong Seo
She has been labeled as the industry's rising star but Jeon Jeong Seo has already formed a reputation for herself since her debut in 2018.
The actress was among the lead stars of the thriller-mystery movie "Burning," alongside Yoo Ah In and "Walking Dead's" Steven Yeun. All eyes were on Jeon Jong Seo after her big-screen debut made it to the Cannes Film Festival.
After four years and several awards as an actress, the 27-year-old beauty will be headlining one of 2022's much-awaited remakes. She will portray the feisty gang member Tokyo in "Money Heist: Korea," joining Yoo Ji Tae, Park Hae Soo, and more.
However, Jeon Jong Seo was a university dropout before solidifying her name in the industry.
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Born in Seoul, she was raised in Canada, where she spent most of her early years in school at Maple Country. She returned to her homeland to finish high school at the prestigious Anyang Arts High School.
After high school, she entered Sejong University and took film and theater as her major.
As mentioned by the Korean Film Council website, "she eventually decided to stop after a year as she didn't feel particularly interested in the kind of lectures that were offered there".
Instead, she had private classes in acting to hone her skills.
Lee Yi Kyung
Best known for his remarkable role in "School 201," "Welcome to Waikiki," and being the one of the funniest actors in the industry, Lee Yi Kyung once shared why he quit school at a young age.
During his 2019 appearance in JTBC's "Please Take Care of My Refrigerator," the actor recalled the time when he chose to leave school.
According to a report, he revealed that it was his father's recommendation to drop out from school due to an injury,
"My father recommended I drop out. I used to play a sport but had to quit after an injury. I suffered from a mental illness after losing my dream," he said.
Lee Yi Kyung had to stop studying to focus on his recovery because, at the time, he was also suffering from depression. His father, the CEO of LG Innotek Lee Ung Beom, then encouraged him to live the way he wanted and allowed him to quit school.
Kim Sae Ron
One of the successful child stars of her generation is Kim Sae Ron.
She snagged her first-ever acting trophy, Best New Actress, at the 8th Korean Film Awards for her performance in "The Man from Nowhere." In 2018, she shared that she dropped out of school to "try something different."
As cited by a media outlet, the actress explained that she went to an art school and wanted to transfer to the Department of Theater and Film for college.
"If I did that, I would be studying acting for 6-7 years," she said, adding, "I wanted to study something different during my high school days, so I decided to drop out."
Unfortunately, the actress was recently involved in a controversy involving DUI charges.
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Written by Geca Wills
