“Boys Over Flowers” Star Became a Farmer due to Poverty? Shocking Decline in Visual
Once a heartthrob in the hit K-drama “Boys Over Flower” and famous as an idol, this actor has fallen from the public’s eyes.
Kim Hyun-joong, once a top idol and actor with his appearance in “Boys Over Flowers” star, has recently become a hot topic in South Korea. The reason is a series of photos showing him appearing in a rural area, dressed like a farmer. Rumors immediately erupted that he had fallen into poverty and returned to the countryside to farm corn following past scandals.
In these photos, viewers also noticed Kim Hyun-joong’s drastically changed appearance. Without makeup, wearing a hat and a headscarf to block the sun, hiding his signature wavy hair, he looked completely different from his celebrity days. In fact, many people almost didn’t recognize the former heartthrob from “Boys Over Flowers.”
Responding to rumors about poverty forcing him to return to farming and his declining looks, however, Kim Hyun-joong recently clarified. He posted a screenshot of an article titled “The Collapse of a Hallyu Star” on his SNS, emphasizing that these images were just content for his personal YouTube channel. He also shared that he was growing corn on land he owned. He even joked that he would send a bag of corn to the article’s author after the harvest.
In reality, despite not acting for many years and his music products not gaining much attention after a series of scandals, Kim Hyun-joong is still wealthy. The land shown in his “farmer” images was bought by the idol-actor years ago for about 200 million won (around 145,000 USD).
Recently, Kim Hyun-joong has been focusing on music production and being a YouTuber. On his YouTube channel, he posts a variety of videos that receive a lot of support from fans.
Born in 1986, Kim Hyun-joong was once a superstar of the Hallyu wave, excelling in the role of the handsome second male lead in “Boys Over Flowers.” Back then, compared to Lee Min-ho, Kim Hyun-joong received just as much praise, and his looks were even said to be superior to the other stars. Kim Hyun-joong even popularized the trend of the “flower boy” look among men.
After “Boys Over Flowers,” Kim Hyun-joong’s acting career continued to flourish. However, his success was short-lived. In 2014, Kim Hyun-joong was involved in a scandal for assaulting his ex-girlfriend, Ms. Choi. After a long legal battle lasting around 6 years, he won the case and received compensation from Ms. Choi for defamation. However, by then, Hyun-joong had lost everything—from his reputation to his status.
Source: K14
