Han Geng (韓庚), a former Chinese member of Super Junior (슈퍼주니어), recently offered rare insights into the hardships he faced as a K-pop idol during his debut in South Korea. As one of Super Junior's founding members, he admitted that while the group later became an iconic K-pop boy band, life was far from easy in their early days.
Han Geng recalled that after Super Junior debuted in 2005 with “Twins (Knock Out),” they earned almost no income for the first year. He confessed, “Actually, for the first year of our activities, we didn’t have much money.”
When the host asked if their income after debut was higher than during their trainee period, Han Geng’s direct reply — “Even less” — came as a surprise.
Han Geng explained that as an SM Entertainment trainee, he received a monthly allowance of approximately 4,000 Chinese Yuan (about $560 USD). Since the company provided meals and he lived in a dormitory, his living expenses were low, allowing him to send most of the money back to his parents in China.
He recalled, “The company gave me pocket money every month. When I was training, I would also send money home, a little to my dad, a little to my mom, and keep some for myself. I felt it was enough because the company provided food, and I lived in the dorm, so I basically didn’t need to spend much.”
However, after his official debut, the money in his account decreased. Han Geng revealed that Super Junior’s income at the time, including album sales and appearance fees for shows, had to be divided among 13 members, so the amount each member received was already small.
Even more challenging, idols had to repay the company for investments made during their trainee period, including monthly allowances and training costs for singing and dancing. This meant Han Geng was unable to send money home as he used to after his debut.
He admitted, “After earning money, we had to pay it back to the company; we had to earn our own money back. So at that time, I couldn’t send that much money to my family at all.”
Fortunately, during his most difficult times, the Super Junior members offered their help. Han Geng emotionally stated that the members were very kind to him, even willing to share some of their meager earnings. He said, “Luckily, the members of the group were really good to me; they would share their money with me.”
Han Geng added that everyone wasn’t earning much at the time. “We didn’t have much money to begin with, and everyone didn’t get much,” he said. But even so, the members were willing to support each other, for which he remains grateful today.
Super Junior later released several hit songs, including “Sorry, Sorry” and “BONAMANA,” becoming one of the most significant Hallyu boy bands. After leaving the group, Han Geng returned to China to pursue his career and, at 40 years old, primarily works as an actor.
Having grown up in a financially struggling family, Han Geng signed a 13-year contract with SM Entertainment at the age of 19, aiming for fame and financial stability. It is said that his father once lamented his own helplessness, stating, “I sold my child.”
