Although 2NE1 disbanded in 2016, Sandara Park is still among the richest K-pop idols in the industry. But contrary to popular opinion, she didn't earn the majority of her money from promoting as a 2NE1 member — rather, her popularity overseas gave her many opportunities to work with high-profile brands.
During her Look Me Up appearance, the legendary girl group member responded to several netizens commenting on her wealth. "How is Sandara Park so wealthy?," one asked. "I was just reading the Top 5 wealthiest female singers. It was IU, Lee Hyori, Sandara Park, BoA, and Suzy in order," another revealed. "Is she good at managing her finances?," someone questioned.
"There was a lot of talk about this after we disbanded," Sandara began. "People close to me also wondered how Dara gets her money to do so much shopping. I almost got angry...I didn't work a lot locally but I did a lot of commercials overseas. I am quite popular in Southeast Asia and I got quite large ad fees. I was consistently making good money and people looked down on me and all back then. I was a bit angry. I want to go shopping with the money I made; however, I failed to invest, totally."
When asked if she made money by investing, Sandara firmly denied it. "Not a single investment, I don't even save," she said laughingly. "I should now [though]."
"Wow, Sandara Park is on another level. Look at her receipt after shopping in LA," a netizen posted. Dara made the studio laugh in disbelief when she nonchalantly replied, "This is a very short one." She went on to explain further, "It's short for me. I spend 2 million won (approx. PHP 85,545) at Don Quixote. However, I give it out to people."
"Wow, look at Sandara Park's shoe rack," another netizen reacted. "This is just a part of it," Dara clarified. A known sneakerhead, fans and 1theK staff alike were surprised at the actual number of shoes she owns. When someone typed, "she is a model for Nike herself but she has 5-6 more at home," the K-pop veteran was quick to fact-check: "I think it's 5-60 times more."
"I keep needing more shoe racks so there are shoes stuffed in the balcony because I failed to take care of them. It's so upsetting but I have to move to a house larger than Boon the Shop* to organize all of them." (Boon the Shop is a famous retailer in Korea that carries both domestic and overseas designer brands)
Thanks to her many brand collaborations, Dara maintains her spot as one of the top-earning Korean celebrities. But she works a lot harder (and more often) than you might think. Watch her full Look Me Up episode here:
