BAE YONG JOON: FROM ERRAND BOY TO "KING OF HALLYU"

Bae Yong Joon, born in 1972, came from a poor family and worked hard to become a top star in South Korean entertainment. His family had money problems when he was in high school. At that time, Bae Yong Joon had to live in a poor area and do many small jobs like shining shoes and selling newspapers to make money instead of going to college.

In the early 1990s, Bae Yong Joon started working for film crews as an errand boy. Because he was handsome, he got lucky and was chosen to be in a movie in 1994. He quickly became a star that many people liked.

The career of the "errand boy in film crews" took off when he starred in popular movies like First Love (1996) and Winter Sonata (2002). For over 10 years, Bae Yong Joon was said to be one of the highest-paid actors in South Korean entertainment. In 2008, a magazine even named him the most powerful actor in Korean showbiz.

Besides money from acting, Bae Yong Joon was also good at business. He started a company called KeyEast, which he later sold to SM Entertainment for 15 billion won in cash and 35 billion won in stocks.

In 2011, the star of Winter Sonata shared his income in a document sent to the court about income tax. He earned 2.08 billion won in 2003. In 2004, he made 9.1 billion won. In 2005, the actor pocketed 23.8 billion won. Most of Bae Yong Joon's income came from acting in movies, doing ads, and royalties.

The media once guessed that Bae Yong Joon's wealth was about 100 billion won (more than 1,800 billion dong).

After many years in show business, Bae Yong Joon started living a more private life and left the entertainment world after getting married. In 2015, the "King of Hallyu" married actress Park Soo Jin after dating for 100 days.

After selling all his company shares, Bae Yong Joon enjoyed a peaceful, happy life with his wife. In October 2016, the couple had their first son. In April 2018, Bae Yong Joon became a father again when a baby girl was born.

The actor's assistant once said that Bae Yong Joon lives happily with his wife and children in the United States after leaving the South Korean entertainment industry.

"Bae Yong Joon didn't say much about work, but when he gave his Keyeast company shares to SM in 2018, it was a great way to leave the Korean entertainment industry. It's like retiring as an actor," Bae Yong Joon's representative once shared about the actor's decision to "retire early."