5 Korean stars with weird certifications, from Seo Ye-ji’s sex education and balloon art qualifications to Mamamoo’s Solar fun and recreation leader titles

Oct 3 , 2021

What can’t these Korean idols and actors do? Lee Byung-hun, Mamamoo’s Solar, Seo Ye-ji and Girl’s Day’s Minah all have unusual certifications. Photos: @byunghun0712, @yongsunyeba, @seoyeji_ig, @bbang_93/Instagram

Celebrities are a talented bunch … and not necessarily just when they’re acting on screen, dancing on stage or recording in the studio! While some of our favourite Korean actors and idols have degrees from top universities or high IQs, others have little-known talents that they even went as far as to get certified for.

Here are five K-stars with unique certificates that have almost nothing to do with why they’re famous.

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Seo Ye-ji: sex education, origami and balloon art

Seo Ye-ji obtained a certification for her hobby of folding origami. Photo: @seoyeji_ig/Instagram

The It’s Okay to Not Be Okay star Seo Ye-ji, who you might also know for her recent scandals, holds eight different unique certifications in areas such as sex education, origami and balloon art.

During her appearance on SBS Power FM’s Park Sun Young’s Cine Town, the actress clarified that she got the certificate in sex education because she wanted to educate herself, and when she has children one day, she hopes she can teach them about sex in a healthy way.

Seo Ye-ji played Go Moon-young in the hit drama series It’s Okay to Not Be Okay. Photo: @seoyeji_ig/Instagram

According to Her World, Seo wanted to get a certificate in origami because it has been a hobby of hers since she was young. Whenever she feels stressed, she folds her troubles and worries into roses.

Mamamoo’s Solar: laughter therapy and recreation

Solar’s certification of laughter therapy is certainly unique. Photo: @yongsunyeba/Instagram

The leader of Mamamoo, Solar has three different certificates that all have to do with bringing happiness to others: recreation and fun leadership, and laughter therapy. During her appearance on MBC’s My Little Television, Solar said the classes don’t take a long time and can be completed in just a few short hours.

Solar is the leader of popular girl group Mamamoo. Photo: @yongsunyeba/Instagram

We’re not surprised that the star also gave herself a score of 100 out of 100 for her leadership skills while on an episode of KBS 2TV’s Boss in the Mirror.

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Kim Tae-hee: scuba diving

Kim Tae-hee got her scuba diving certificate after wanting to overcome her fear of water. Photo: @frangipani_rose/Instagram

While some celebrities might choose to obtain certification for hobbies or personal improvements, Kim Tae-hee’s reason for getting her scuba diving certificate was a little different.

Kim Tae-hee obtained her certification during her off-time. Photo: @frangipani_rose/Instagram

According to TVN’s The List, Kim – the wife of K-pop legend Rain – developed a fear of water after falling in while filming in Guam. To help overcome her fear, One the Woman star Lee Hanee, who is also Kim’s close friend, suggested getting a scuba diving certification.

Lee Byung-hun: barista

Lee Byung-hun attending the 2021 Cannes Film Festival. Photo: @byunghun0712/Instagram

It’s no secret that the G.I. Joe actor Lee Byung-hun is a huge coffee lover. According to Soompi, after his film I Saw the Devil in 2010, he took a break from acting and decided to take his love of coffee to the next level by becoming a certified barista.

Lee Byung-hun sure does love his coffee – you can frequently see him at coffee trucks on filming sets. Photo: @byunghun0712/Instagram

Since then, Lee brews his own morning coffee every morning and makes sure to bring his home-made coffee in a tumbler when he goes out.

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Girl’s Day’s Minah: operating heavy machinery

Minah obtained her licence to operate heavy machinery after getting cast on a variety show. Photo: @bbang_93/Instagram

Girls’ Day’s Minah obtained a licence to operate heavy machinery after getting cast in a house-building variety show, SBS’ Eco Village. By getting an excavator licence, she was able to use her skills to help build homes on the show.

While preparing for the excavator licence exam, she posted a picture of herself studying on Twitter, saying: “Ahhh! It feels like I’m back in school.”

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K-pop idols

Seo Ye-ji from Netflix K-drama It’s Okay to Not Be Okay has eight certificates while Kim Tae-hee, actress and wife of K-pop legend Rain, has one in scuba-diving
Girl’s Day’s Minah got a licence to operate heavy machinery for a house-building variety show – but what exactly does Solar do with her laughter therapy skills?