Former trainee who competed with IVE’s Jang Wonyoung for the “center” position reveals regrettable recent status
Recently, the YouTube channel “Recent Status Olympics” uploaded a video titled “After retirement, serving at a Chinese restaurant… Former ‘Produce’ contestant who competed with Jang Wonyoung for the center position”.
The video featured Kim Cho-yeon, who appeared on Mnet’s “Produce 48” in 2018 and competed with Jang Wonyoung for the center spot, sharing an update on her life.
After “Produce 48”, Kim Cho-yeon debuted in 2021 as a member of the group bugAboo. However, the team disbanded after just one year.
Kim Cho-yeon revealed, “I received a lot of offers, but I felt that even if I pursued being an idol again, I wouldn’t be happy. So, I decided to leave it as a memory and look for something else.”
She also confessed that during her time with bugAboo, she suffered from depression and panic disorder, saying, “As it worsened, I couldn’t even step on stage. I couldn’t breathe and felt like I was going to collapse.”
Regarding financial settlements, she stated, “Of course, I didn’t receive any payments. There was even a record of how much debt I had, but in the end, we just parted ways cleanly without any financial transactions.”
After retiring as an idol, Kim Cho-yeon worked part-time at a Chinese restaurant to earn money. She is currently performing in children’s musicals and also earns income by promoting advertisements through social media.
