What is Lee Ji Eun’s Net Worth?
Lee Ji Eun is a South Korean singer, songwriter, and actress who has a net worth of $15 million. Lee Ji Eun is best known for her hit single “Good Day,” which American music magazine Billboard ranked as one of the best songs of the 2010s. She is also known for her portrayal of Kim Pil-sook, one of a group of high school students who are determined to become K-pop stars in the award-winning television series “Dream High.”
Early Years
Lee Ji Eun was born on May 16, 1993, in Seoul, South Korea. As a child, her family was forced to separate due to her parents’ poor financial circumstances. She and her younger brother moved into a tiny apartment in Gyeonggi Province, South Korea, where their poverty-stricken grandmother and cousin resided while her parents lived elsewhere.
As a youngster, Eun knew she wanted to be an entertainer and began training with South Korean singers and actresses Uee, Jun Hyo-seong, Yubin, and Heo Gayoon. In 2007, the South Korean talent agency LOEN Entertainment signed her on as a client, and she relocated to Seoul, where living conditions were not much better than what she’d had in Gyeonggi Province.
In 2012, she graduated from Dongduk Girls’ High School and decided to pursue a career in singing rather than attend college.
(Photo by LOIC VENANCE/AFP via Getty Images)
Music Career
LOEN Entertainment assigned Lee Ji Eun to the stage name IU, which means that I and you become one person through music. On September 18, 2008, she performed her debut single “Lost Child” on the South Korean music program “M Countdown.” The single, from an extended play album “Lost and Found,” earned hurtful insults from the crowd. The following month, despite the terrible reception, South Korea’s Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism awarded Eun the Rookie of the Month Award. The EP was not successful.
On April 23, 2009, Eun launched her first studio album – “Growing Up.” Having to take on the persona of an adorable child carrying a dark, heavy message, she wasn’t comfortable in the role. As a fifteen-year-old, she disliked the childish costumes and hairstyles.
Later that year, Eun began hosting a weekly television music show on Bom TV and guest-starred on radio programs such as Kiss The Radio, Volume Up on KBS Cool FM, and Best Friend Radio on MBC FM4U.
During the summer of 2010, her single “Nagging” – a duet with South Korean singer Lim Seul-ong – reached number one on the Gaon Digital Chart and remained there for three weeks. The song was played in season two of the South Korean reality-variety show “We Got Married.” Her next release – the single “Because I’m a Woman” – reached number six on the chart and was used in the South Korean television series “Road No. 1.”
Eun’s third album, “Real,” was released on December 9, 2010, and debuted at number four on the Gaon Album Chart. The album’s single “Good Day” was ranked at number one by American magazine Billboard on its list of the 100 Greatest K-pop Songs of the 2010s.
In 2011, an extended play album titled “Real+” was released. Its single “Only I Didn’t Know” debuted at number one on the Gaon Digital Chart. Later that year, Eun opened for British singer Corinne Bailey Rae’s first solo concert in Seoul. That same year, she became the host of the music program Inkigayo and released the song “Hold My Hand” for the South Korean romantic comedy television series “The Greatest Love.” The song peaked at number two on the Gaon Digital Chart, selling over two million copies.
Eun signed with EMI Music Japan, and her next album, “Last Fantasy,” was released at the end of 2011, debuting at number one on the Gaon Digital Chart. It later won Record of the Year at the Seoul Music Awards while she was voted Female Musician of the Year.
Eun set out on her first concert tour – “Real Fantasy” – in June of 2012. The following year, she released the album “Modern Times” which debuted at number one on the Gaon Album Chart. The extended play cover album “A Flower Bookmark” was released in 2014, followed by “Chat-shire” in 2015 and “Palette” in 2017, which won numerous awards. The studio album “Lilac” was released in 2021. In 2024, Eun released the EP “The Winning.”
Television & Film
In 2001, Lee Ji Eun competed in the reality television ice skating/dancing competition series “Kim Tuna’s Kiss & Cry” and was eliminated in the eighth episode.
In 2010, she joined the cast of the South Korean variety television show “Heroes,” which aired until May 2011. That same year, she was cast in the South Korean teen television series “Dream High” about six high school students who are determined to become K-pop stars. She played the role of Kim Pil-sook, a teen with perfect pitch who has been discouraged from pursuing a career as a singer due to her shyness and tendency to put on weight. The series won the Hallyu Award at the 2011 SKY PerfecTV! Awards. A few weeks later, it was honored with a Special Award for Foreign Drama at the International Drama Festival in Tokyo. In December, the series won numerous honors at the Korean Broadcasting System Drama Awards, including Best Supporting Actress for the performance of Lee Yoon-Ji, Best New Actress for Bae Suzy, Best New Actor for Kim Soo-hyun and Best Couple for Soo-hyun and Suzy. The Philippines Network ABS-CBN ranked the show as the most successful Korean series of 2011.
The following year, the series won a Golden Rose Award in the youth category at the Rose d’Or Awards in Switzerland. It was the first Korean show to ever win the award. The series has accumulated tens of millions of views on the Chinese streaming service Youku. It was nominated for over 50 awards during the course of its airing and won approximately a dozen of them, including a Cyworld Digital Music Award, a 3rd Bugs Music Award, and a USTV Student’s Choice Award.
The series, which is licensed to over 35 channels in approximately 60 countries, spawned a Japanese stage musical and a collection of behind-the-scenes stories, interviews, and photographs published as “Dream High Special Making Book.” The series is also licensed to several streaming platforms and was released on Netflix in the summer of 2022.
In 2013, Eun took on the lead role in the South Korean television series “You Are the Best!” which resulted in an Excellence in Acting Award at the 2013 KBS Drama Awards. Later that year, she joined the romantic comedy series “Bel Ami,” playing the quirky Kim Bo-tong. In 2015, she scored a role in the television series “The Producers.” The following year, she played the female lead in the television series “Moon Lovers: Scarlet Heart Ryeo.” In 2018, she was cast to play Lee Ji-an in the television series “My Mister” and, the next year, made her film debut in the Netflix anthology series “Persona.” In 2022, Eun starred in the film “Broker” and, in 2023, in the comedy-drama film “Dream.”
Personal Life
Lee Ji Eun is in a relationship with Korean actor Lee Jong Suk, who starred in the 2012 romantic comedy series “A Gentleman’s Dignity.”
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