Although these idols may be leading a good life now, they surprisingly started off a little less fortunate than most. "Started from the bottom, now we here" is basically the golden catchphrase of these idols who went from rags to riches (well, at least seemingly better off) after their debut.









1. SHINee's Taemin





Due to Taemin's humble personality, not much is often revealed about his past, but there have been numerous instances where his poor upbringing was brought up. Believed to be the less well-off member, Taemin mentioned how he couldn't even afford an MP3 player and would simply wear headphones around to fit in. He revealed on 'Radio Star' his most expensive purchase was a home for his parents in Gangnam, which he bought using all his savings from his activities in SHINee.





2. Super Junior's Leeteuk





During an MBC Special interview, Super Junior's Leeteuk revealed his life wasn't all sunshine and daisies. He grew up in an abusive household. His parents struggled with poverty, which caused them to often fight and even beat Leeteuk. He witnessed many hardships with his parent's relationship which affected him deeply, but he appears to be doing much better now.





3. Girl's Day's Sojin





It may come as a shock to many, but Girl's Day's Sojin did not have the easiest start as an idol. While her parents disapproved of her dream, she couldn't resist following her own path and fled to Seoul while working odd jobs to make ends meet. She lived in a small studio and soon found hope in her recruitment under Dream Tea.









4. B.A.P's Daehyun





The rowdy member of B.A.P, Daehyun revealed in an interview that he did have a wealthy background until the depression/financial crisis known as the IMF hit Korea. He then said, "Poverty became my best friend," as he lost everything and even struggled continuing through pre-school. �As he grew older he continued working at his father's hardware store in order for them to escape poverty.�





5. Lee Hyori





The fabulous diva that is Lee Hyori didn't always have a life of glitz and glamour. She revealed in on SBS's 'Magic Eye,' "I didn't even get to go to kindergarten. I wanted to go to kindergarten and learn how to play the piano and have a xylophone, but I was unable to because we had no money. There was a time when I thought with a young heart, 'Why had I been born poor in a house like this?'"�





6. Rain





Sadly, the globally recognized mega superstar that is Rain had more of a rough past than expected. He grew up in a rather poor household that often had unsanitary conditions. Another unfortunate tragedy was the death of his mother. She died of diabetes and it was believed if they had more money at the time they could have afforded actual medical treatment for her. Rain recalled in an interview that even his mother's last meal was prepackaged ramen.�





7. Sohee





Former Wonder Girl member Sohee also came from a rough beginning. Her parents had divorced when she was just about 10 years old. Soon after when she turned 12 she joined JYP Entertainment in order to help her hard-working father by working as a model and an idol in the making.





8. Hara





Former member of KARA, Hara could appear to come from a wealthy background, but this is not the case. Her parent's divorced when she was 7 years old, which created many hardships for them. The family was so poor that Hara was sent to live with her grandparents, where she also encountered many bullies during her school years and she became a quiet lone wolf.�





9. G-Dragon & Taeyang





Two members of Big Bang, G-Dragon and Taeyang, had a real rough start. The members revealed on an episode of 'Happy Together' that they often starved during their trainee days and were making ends meet off the equivalent of $4.50 a month. G-Dragon and Taeyang worked hard in order to support themselves and reach their dreams but when their manager was holding out on them (with money, food, etc.) they often relied on each other to overcome their past hardship. They all even slept together on two twin size mattresses. �Although the group suffered as a whole seemingly, G-Dragon and Taeyang appear to have had it the worst.





10. BTS' V and Suga





The quirky BTS member V revealed in an interview for 'Skool Luv Affair,'�"I came from a poor family and I never thought I would become famous."�He grew up under a family of farmers and often takes pictures of the farm they own. He further revealed in an interview with 'The Star,'�"[Being an idol is] a lucky chance that will only come once in a lifetime. If I wasn't in BTS I would probably be a farmer. I'd be pulling out weeds from a farm with my grandmother."





BTS' Suga also revealed in an interview that,�"After we debuted, I went back to the dorm and sat there blankly staring. I could not believe me, a kid from a poor Daegu family, would be able to make it."







