It’s no secret that many K-Pop idols start their training days at a very young age. Some idols, however, not only start training young – but debut young as well! While most pre-teens and teenagers just have school and friends and homework to worry about, these idols had to juggle both their academics and their musical careers. Here are 8 of them that successfully made it through their younger years and are still thriving today!
1. SHINee’s Taemin – 14
Taemin made his debut with the group on May 25, 2008 with “Replay” after training under SM Entertainment for 3 years.
2. f(x)’s Krystal – 14
Krystal debuted with f(x) just weeks before her 15th birthday with “LA chA TA” on September 1, 2009.
3. NCT DREAM’s Jisung – 14
The maknae of the group debuted with NCT DREAM on August 24, 2016 with the hit “Chewing Gum”.
4. Boy Story’s Shuyang – 10
Part of the youngest group ever to debut, this JYP Entertainment artist started his career on September 21, 2018 with “Enough”. The rest of the members weren’t any older than 14!
5. BTS’s Jungkook – 15
The maknae of the world-famous boy group debuted at this young age on June 13, 2013 with “No More Dream”.
6. IU – 15
This multi-talented soloist started her professional career at this young age on September 18, 2008 with “Lost Child”.
7. Minzy
The maknae and talented dancer of 2NE1 debuted under YG Entertainment with “Fire” on May 6, 2008.
8. TWICE’s Tzuyu – 16
TWICE’s youngest member debuted alongside her members on October 20, 2015 with the mini album The Story Begins.
