Ex-KARA member Kang Ji Young has confessed she had doubts about pursuing a career in acting due to her idol image.

The star recently sat down with Japanese news outlet Oricon Style for an interview, during which she talked about her new career as an actress following her departure from KARA last year.

Regarding her decision to focus on acting, Kang Ji Young revealed, “I enjoyed acting when I first appeared on a drama, and I thought of pursuing an actual career in acting. Because of my image as a KARA member, I felt worried about how others would perceive me as an actress. However, my fans and staff believed in me, which was very encouraging.”

When asked about the difference between promoting alone and as a group, the star explained, “I have more time to think, and while I previously only thought about tomorrow, I now think about my future after five or ten years,” and added, “Being alone makes me insecure, but I motivate myself by thinking ‘It’s my dream, so I will do it.'”

“Although I am currently doing my best in Japan, my distant dream is to promote in various Asian countries as an actress. After ten years, I hope to also be in Hollywood,” she revealed her goals for the future, and said, “In order to improve my acting, I want to become more lonely and stronger. I heard that being an actress means being lonely. I hope to be cast in a project that challenges me to think – to the point where I get an headache – and show more depth to my acting.”

Kang Ji Young signed an exclusive contract with Japanese agency Sweet Power in last August, and has since built her career in acting.