Read the complete write-up of Kim Sejeong net worth, age, boyfriend, husband, height, family, parents, music, movies, tv shows as well as other information you need to know.
Introduction
Kim Se-Jeong best known as Sejeong, is a South Korean singer, actress, songwriter and musical actress signed under Jellyfish Entertainment. She was the runner-up contestant in Mnet’s survival show Produce 101 and debuted as a member of the project girl group I.O.I. She’s also a former member of Gugudan and its subgroup Gugudan SeMiNa. Following the group’s disbandment, she’s currently active as a solo artist and actress. She is best known for her lead roles in the television series School 2017 and The Uncanny Counter as well as the Netflix variety show Busted!
Early life
| Name | Kim Sejeong |
| Net Worth | $4 million |
| Profession | Singer, Songwriter, Actress |
| Height | 1.68m |
| Age | 25 years |
Kim Se-Jeong was born on August 28, 1996 (age 25 years) in Gimje, North Jeolla Province, but moved to Anyang, Gyeonggi where she stayed with her mother and older brother at her aunt’s house. Her parents split when she was a child, leaving her mother to single-handedly raise her and her brother, and she has previously stated that she did not contact her father until she was in her third year of middle school. Kim is currently studying practical music at Hanyang Women’s University.
Career
Kim Sejeong participated in the second season of the competition television show K-pop Star 2 at the age of 16 in 2012. She did not make it through the second round ranking audition, but Yang Hyun-suk brought her back as a wildcard for the casting round, where she performed a duet of Taeyang’s “I Need A Girl” with fellow contestant Jo Yoo-min. Yang cast the both of them, grouping Kim with contestants Nicole Curry and Lee Soo-Kyung for the final casting round. At the end of the round, she was eliminated from the competition.
In January 2016, she represented Jellyfish Entertainment together with fellow trainees Kim Na-young and Kang Mi-na on the reality survival show Produce 101 for the chance to debut in a Mnet project girl group. All three were assigned to “Group A” in the first episode of the program, and she achieved the first-place ranking on several episodes, earning the nickname “God Sejeong”. The program came to an end on April 1, 2016, and the final line-up of I.O.I, consisting of the top 11 poll-winners, was announced.
Kim finished second overall, with 525,352 votes, becoming an official member of the girl group. I.O.I officially debuted on May 4, 2016, with their debut title track “Dream Girls”. I.O.I promoted as a whole for events and advertising gigs for less than a year and officially disbanded in January 2017. The members returned to their respective agencies at the end of their contracts.
Kim Sejeong – Gugudan, variety shows and acting debut
On June 10, 2016, YMC Entertainment revealed that Kim Sejeong would not be taking part in I.O.I’s unit promotions but would instead return to her agency to debut and promote with its upcoming girl group. On June 28, 2016, while still a member of I.O.I, Kim with her fellow I.O.I member Kang Mina officially debuted as a member of South Korean girl group Gugudan with their debut title track “Wonderland”.
On November 23, 2016, Kim participated in Jellyfish Entertainment’s music channel project Jelly Box and released the single “Flower Way” (Korean: 꽃길; RR: Kkotgil), produced by Zico, along with a music video. The single topped seven major charts upon its release and received an All-Kill. Kim received her first music program trophy as a solo artist with “Flower Way” on the November 30 episode of Show Champion making her one of the fastest soloists to win in a music show.
Kim Sejeong released the song “If Only” for the OST of the popular Korean drama The Legend of the Blue Sea on January 12, 2017. Later that year, she collaborated with Lee Tae-il of Block B for the digital song “I Like You, I Don’t” which charted at number 8 in Gaon Music Charts. Kim also collaborated with NCT’s Doyoung titled “Star Blossom” for SM Station Season 2 music project.
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Aside from singing, Kim established herself as an “ace” in variety shows with her multiple streaks of guesting in popular entertainment programs. Kim hosted the new KBS show Talents for Sale alongside Kim Jong-kook, Lee Seo-jin and Noh Hong-Chul where she displayed a variety of talents on the show and earned the nickname ‘Variety Cheat Key’. She would later get a “Rookie Variety” nomination in the 15th KBS Entertainment Awards.
In March 2017, she joined the reality-documentary Law of the Jungle in Sumatra headed by the chief Kim Byung-man in a remote area in Sumatra, Indonesia. Kim displayed her athletic and survival skills such as diving and fishing for several episodes earning her a “survival ace” nickname by the producers. She was awarded a Best Challenge Award on the 11th SBS Entertainment Awards. Later on, Kim once again showed her physical skills and was dubbed as “Wonder Sejeong” when she joined the Boat Horn Clenched Fists crew on a fishing mission in Imjado, an island in the county in South Jeolla Province with Kim Jong-min, Lee Sangmin, Kim Byung-man whom she worked with in Law of the Jungle and among others.
In July 2017, Kim Sejeong took on her first major acting role as the lead, Ra Eun-ho, in KBS2’s teen drama School 2017 where she won a “Best New Actress” award at the 31st KBS Drama Awards for her performance as the bubbly and charismatic Eun-ho. She also sang the OST for the series with her group Gugudan titled “Believe in this Moment”.
In September 2017, it was confirmed that Kim will be a fixed cast member in Netflix’s first Korean variety show Busted! alongside a variety of veterans Yoo Jae-suk, Kim Jong-min, Lee Kwang-soo, Ahn Jae-Wook, actress Park Min-young and fellow idol Oh Se-hun. The variety show spanned for three seasons with Lee Seung-gi joining the cast in its second season. That month, she also became a permanent MC for OnStyle’s Get It Beauty alongside Honey Lee, Lee Se-young and Sandara Park.
In January 2018, Kim became the first special co-host of Baek Jong-won’s Alley Restaurant a cooking-variety program hosted by celebrity chef Baek Jong-won. Kim and fellow Jellyfish Entertainment artist LEO of VIXX were chosen to sing the official cheer song entitled “We, the Reds” for the South Korea national football team for the 2018 World Cup Tournament.
In June 2018, she was cast as one of the members of the MDRS team led by Kim Byung-man in their third time working together, with actress Ha Ji-won and 2 PM’s Nichkhun for tvN’s sci-fi variety program Galileo: Awakened Universe that explores the idea of life on Mars. All the members flew to Utah, United States to the Mars Desert Research Station (MDRS), the largest and longest-running Mars surface simulation facility in the world. They were the first Korean entertainment crew to set foot on the Research Station.
In June 2018, a Gugudan subgroup named Gugudan SeMiNa was formed with Kim and fellow Produce 101 alum members Mina and Nayoung. They debuted on July 10, 2018, with the title track “SeMiNa”. In September 2018, Kim released the song “Lover” for the OST of the popular Korean drama Mr Sunshine.
Kim Sejeong – Solo career, musical debut and success in drama
In 2019, Kim Sejeong went on to take her second leading role in the mystery romantic-comedy-drama I Wanna Hear Your S ong where she played a timpanist who lost her memories due to traumatic events. She would later win the K-Drama Hallyu Star Award on the 2019 KBS Drama Awards for the role.
After a year of hiatus as a singer and three years since her solo debut song, Kim released the single “Tunnel” in collaboration with Dingo Music on December 2, 2019, followed by her first self-written and composed EP titled Plant (Korean: 화분; RR: Hwabun), with its lead single of the same name, released on March 17, 2020. She received her second music award show trophy on The Show for her single.
Kim Sejeong wrote and composed all the tracks from her EP, except for the lead single. Kim released the OST “All of My Days” for the popular drama Crash Landing on You, which charted at number 50 on the Gaon digital chart followed by “What My Heart Says” for the OST of Record of Youth. She later released the digital single “Whale” on August 17, 2020.
Sejeong then went on to make her musical debut as the female lead in Return: The Promise of the Day, an original army musical that deals with the topic of excavating the remains of the heroic soldiers who sacrificed themselves to protect their country during the Korean War.
On July 15, 2020, she was confirmed to have been cast as one of the four main characters for the drama adaptation of the popular webtoon The Uncanny Counter. She played the role of Do Hana, a counter who has the ability to sense evil spirits from afar as well as the ability to read and enter the memories of the person she touched. Before filming the drama, Kim together with her co-stars trained in an action school to prepare for their respective roles.
The drama went on to become the highest-rated OCN series of all time and its immense popularity led to renewal for season 2. Kim also contributed to the drama’s OST through her self-written and the composed song “Meet Again” which charted at 147 on the Gaon Digital Chart. After two years of inactivity, on December 31, 2020, Jellyfish Entertainment officially disbanded Gugudan and on May 11, 2021, Kim renewed her contract with the company as a solo artist and actress.
On March 9, 2021, it was revealed that Kim was in the middle of preparing for a comeback. The EP would be Kim’s official debut as a solo singer after gugudan’s disbandment. The teaser video for her comeback was released on March 17, 2021, and on March 27, 2021, two days ahead of the release of her EP and single, Kim officially announced in her official social media accounts the name of her fandom, “Sesang” which translate to “World” in English. Kim released her second self-written and composed EP titled I’m with its lead single “Warning” on March 29, 2021. She would later promote her single in various music and entertainment shows. She was also featured in MC Mong’s Flower 9 album with the song “Can I Go Back”.
On April 5, 2021, it was announced that Kim would make her second musical appearance through Red Book, a musical drama about women’s growth that sought pride and dignity in the Victorian era, which was the most conservative. She played Anna the protagonist of the story who defied all odds against prejudice about women in the Victorian era. Kim performed from June 7 to August 24, 2021, for a total of 28 shows. Red Book Musical received a viewer rating of 9.9 out of 10 and currently holds the highest viewer rating among the top 20 sales for 2021 Musicals.
On May 4, 2021, Kim and the members of I.O.I celebrated their fifth debut anniversary with a reunion live stream show called “Yes, I Love It!”. On July 23, 2021, Kim collaborated with Municon and released the digital single “Baby I Love U”, which is a remake of the same song by Japanese singer TEE.
Endorsements
Kim Sejeong is considered 2021’s Top CF star for her work as an advertising model in various fields such as food, architecture, home appliances, games, and public service advertisements. Previously, she also took first place in 2017’s Female Advertising Model Brand Reputation survey for the month of June and July.
She was the Global Advertising Model for Crocs Come As You Are campaign alongside international models Natalie Dormer, Zooey Deschanel, Gina Jin, and Japanese model Suzu Hirose. In 2018, she was selected as the brand model for Coca Cola’s Spring Summer campaign with actor Park Bo-gum. She was the exclusive model for Lotte High-Mart and was paired with Astro’s Cha Eun-woo for Lotte’s popular Water Park Commercial Film.
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In January 2019, she became the new face for the alcoholic beverage, Good Day Soju alongside celebrity chef Baek Jong-won. Kim was also featured in an advertisement for Dong Won Tuna together with actor Jo Jung-suk. In 2020, she and her The Uncanny Counter castmates, Yeom Hye-ran and Moon Suk modelled for Dyson Coral™ Hair straightener product. Kim and Yeom participated in a three-episode web variety show titled The Uncanny Touch for the product’s promotion.
Sejeong also endorsed Beauty Products such as Manyo Factory Brand Cosmetics, Acwell, and Myskin Solus. Food and beverage products such as Cocolab, Sunkist Fruit Cider, and Viyotte. Online and RPG games Sudden Attack, Destiny Child: Defense War, and Armis where she released a music video for the games’ promotion. Other popular advertisements such as Samsung’s virtual assistant Bixby, GH Basic Housing, Oella (Home Appliances) and others.
Kim participated in campaigns such as “Online Smoking Cessation” for Korea Health Promotion and Development Institute, Korea Creative Content Agency’s Campaign to “Eradicate the use of Illegal Webtoon Distribution Sites” and National Health Insurance Corporation’s “Smoking Cessation Treatment”.
School
Before her music debut, Kim Sejeong participated in track and field competitions in elementary and middle school and was part of the Theatre Club in her high school. Kim passed Jellyfish Entertainment’s auditions through competition of 3,000 to 1 ratio thus becoming a trainee. She majored in Practical Music and was a trainee for two years before joining Produce 101. While being a trainee on the show she earned the nickname “God Sejeong” for consistently ranking first place and never ranking below second place but the nickname has been since widely used for excelling in various fields.
Kim Sejeong is oftentimes called the icon of “Flower Way” through broadcasts and media after her famous speech to her mother, “I will only let you walk on the flower road from now on,” during the first elimination round of Produce 101 where she won first place. Her first solo song “Flower Way” was based on the letter Kim wrote for her mother in Talents for Sale where she was an active MC.
Image and influence
In 2016 guesting for You Hee-Yeol’s Sketchbook, Kim revealed the goals she wanted to realize in her career in five years: a triple threat in singing, acting and variety which she achieved when she won awards in music, drama and entertainment in 2016 and 2017. She later added musical and songwriting in her 2021 appearance which she accomplished in the same year with her self written EP and as the lead character in the Red Book musical. In August 2021, she won the Multi-trainer Award at 2021 Brand of the Year Awards for her works in various entertainment fields such as music, drama, variety and musicals.
Aside from singing and acting, Kim is a sports enthusiast and known for her athletic skills and strong physique and have been featured on various entertainment shows and headlines thus receiving the tag “Strong Female Idol.” Kim together with her group Gugudan are three-time gold medalists in three consecutive years and record holders for the Women’s Archery Competition in Idol Star Athletics Championships and a gold medalist and record holder with her I.O.I and Gugudan member Mina in Women’s Bowling Competition.
Husband
Kim Sejeong is currently single. Her boyfriend or Husband is unknown to the general public. However, Kim was the main vocalist for both I.O.I and Gugudan and is known for her sweet powerful raspy voice as well as for her emotional healing songs. Kim is also known for her crescent moon eye smile and bright personality on and off stage. Kim sights IU, Girls’ Generation’s Taeyeon and Ailee as her role models in singing and often use their songs in her practice sessions.
Kim Sejeong net worth
How much is Kim Sejeong worth? Kim Sejeong net worth is estimated at around $4 million. Her main source of income is from her music career. Sejeong successful career has earned her some luxurious lifestyles and some fancy cars trips. She is one of the young richest and influential singers in South Korea. However, on August 2, 2021, Kim was confirmed to be the female lead for the SBS drama adaptation of the popular webtoon A Business Proposal with Ahn Hyo-Seop, which will air sometime in 2022. And at the end of 2021, Kim became an MC for the 2021 MBC Entertainment Awards with Jun Hyun-moo and Lee Sang-Yi.