5 Korean Celebrities Who Rejected Multiple Offers From “The Big 3”

Some of them even got accepted by all of “The Big 3”.

While “The Big 3” in K-Pop (YG Entertainment, SM Entertainment, and JYP Entertainment) have high status, that doesn’t mean that all people accept offers from these companies. Some Korean celebrities have even rejected multiple offers from “The Big 3”. Here’s a list of a few of these celebrities.

1. Oh Hyuk (Hyukoh)

During an interview with Vogue Magazine, Oh Hyuk revealed that he auditioned for all of “The Big 3” and got accepted by all of them!

I passed all of them. At the time, I auditioned for SM, JYP, and YG, and I even passed SM’s camera audition. I don’t know why I passed. So I kept doing that, and I kept making songs and singing them for my parents.

— Oh Hyuk

However, Oh Hyuk didn’t accept any of their offers, as he believed that his music style didn’t fit with any of them.

In high school, SM Entertainment asked me to come to Seoul, but I didn’t. It was during my school semester, and their color didn’t match with mine. I wasn’t ever going to dance, and I’d never listened to any music made by them. And, well, look at how I look.

— Oh Hyuk

2. Park Hyung Sik

When Park Hyung Sik was in high school, he received offers from SM Entertainment and YG Entertainment. However, he ended up turning both of them down since he didn’t have any desire to become a singer at the time.

3. Yoon Sun Young

| @sunyovng/Instagram

Model Yoon Sun Young was scouted by all of “The Big 3”, but she ended up rejecting all of them, as she wanted to remain a model and didn’t want to become an idol.

4. Bang Jae Min

Bang Jae Min received casting offers from SM Entertainment and YG Entertainment but turned both of them down since he didn’t want to become an idol.

I never wanted to become an idol. I wanted to become an artist who performed the music I wanted to perform. If I was offered the same again, I would still reject it.

— Bang Jae Min

5. Clara Lee

Model and actress Clara Lee once received casting offers from JYP Entertainment and SM Entertainment but rejected both of them since she had no interest in becoming a singer.

Bonus: Lee Seung Hyo

| tvN/YouTube

During an episode of Problematic Men, a student by the name of Lee Seung Hyo revealed that he received multiple offers from SM Entertainment and got one offer from JYP Entertainment.

When I was in middle school, I was street cast about 14 times. It was a lot.

SM Entertainment tried 4 times, and JYP once.

— Lee Seung Hyo

While he had some desires to become an idol, he decided to pursue schoolwork after getting inspired by the seniors at his school.

During Teacher’s Day, the seniors came to our middle school to talk about our school. At the time, the seniors told us, ‘If you come to our school, you’ll find what you really want to do and you’ll be able to study what you want to study.’

It inspired me to study harder and enroll in this school.

— Lee Seung Hyo