LE SSERAFIM’s Sakura Opens Up About The Struggles Of Debuting As Part Of IZ*ONE In Korea As A Foreign Idol
Even though they haven’t debuted yet, HYBE‘s new girl group LE SSERAFIM has already caught the attention of netizens and is anticipated to be the next hottest thing. As the group starts releasing teasers and information about their debut, they are always a hot topic amongst netizens.
Yet, although most of the members are unknown to netizens, one person has always been loved by fans, and it’s former IZ*ONE member Sakura.
Recently, Sakura appeared in a video for ODG where she sat met with a Korean and Japanese child. She spoke about her experiences moving to Korea and what it was like being in a country where she didn’t know the language or culture.
In particular, when Sakura was speaking to the Japanese child, she shared some of her experiences after moving to Korea. The child explained that although they live in Korea, they go to a Japanese school and because she can’t speak Korean, she doesn’t have a chance to make Korean friends.
When the child was sharing her story, Sakura shared that she understood just how she felt, adding, “I know how you’d feel because so did I. It’s tough.”
Sakura explained that it’d been three or four years since she arrived in Korea, but the fact she couldn’t speak Korean when she first came to the country made things very difficult for her.
Although Sakura had the experience of performing, the sudden debuting of IZ*ONE after the show ended meant that her Korean was still very basic. She then explained that it made her time on the show and the time after very difficult.
Greetings and thank you were all I knew. So, I didn’t know what the teacher was saying even when I was practicing. I didn’t know the meanings of the lyrics, so I kept searching about it. It was hard.
— Sakura
In particular, when Sakura appeared on variety shows, the language barriers meant that she sometimes felt left out.
When I was on an entertainment show, I didn’t know what they were talking about. They were all laughing, but I had no idea why they were laughing. It was lonely.
— Sakura
Even though being an idol was her dream, Sakura revealed that the language barrier made it hard to keep fighting. She thought she would be okay because it was what she loved, but it was tougher, especially as she was away from her family.
Yet, when she debuted in IZ*ONE, Sakura wasn’t the only Japanese member and she explained that having people like Nako and Hitomi with her made things a lot easier, and the fact that many of the members could speak some Japanese.
There were some members in my group who could speak some Japanese. If I didn’t have friends like that who were willing to help me out, I might still be in Japan now.
— Sakura
She then ended by saying that although she had struggles, having the help and support of those around her showed that it isn’t about the language people speak but who they are as a person.
Although Sakura seems effortless when she speaks Korean, it shows that learning a language takes time, and it can make things very tough when you’re in a new place. The people around her got Sakura through the struggles and allowed her to thrive in Korea as an idol.
You can watch the full video below.
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