Here’s the story of an actress who missed her chance to debut in Girls’ Generation.
In 2007, the nation’s girl group Girls’ Generation debuted with 9 members, including former member Jessica. However, the group almost debuted with 10 members.
Few poeple know that a famous actress almost became a member of Girls’ Generation and was included in the planned debut lineup. However, she missed the opportunity because… she was too beautiful. She is Lee Yeon Hee, an actress under SM Entertainment.
Recently, Lee Yeon Hee appeared as a guest in a YouTube content hosted by Yuri. Lee Yeon Hee and Yuri showed off their close friendship, recounting their past of preparing to debut. Notably, Lee Yeon Hee revealed the reason she couldn’t debut in Girls’ Generation.
“I remember the legend about Yeon Hee unnie. The real reason she couldn’t debut as Girls’ Generation,” Yuri said. “The reason was because Yeon Hee unnie was too beautiful. Seriously. There’s a legend about her at SM. People even say that if you put her in a lineup of all visuals, she would still steal all the spotlight.”
Lee Yeon Hee was born in 1988. In 2002, Yeon Hee signed a contract with SM after winning the SM Entertainment Best Youth competition. Joining SM, she was trained not only in acting but also in singing and dancing to debut in a girl group.
Lee Yeon Hee was chosen by SM to star in the music videos of well-known artists under the company such as DBSK, Moon Hee Jun, Kangta, Shinhwa, and Fly to the Sky. Despite not debuting as an idol, Lee Yeon Hee flourished as an actress, gaining fame through works like “East of Eden” (2008), “Miss Korea” (2013), and “Detective K: Secret of the Lost Island” (2015).
Yuri also revealed the role that Lee Yeon Hee could have taken on if she had debuted in Girls’ Generation: “I think you could have been the leader of the group.” Lee Yeon Hee responded with a laugh, “If I joined the group and became the leader, I probably wouldn’t be as close to you all as I am now.” Not only Yuri, but Lee Yeon Hee also remains close with the other members of Girls’ Generation.
In the past, when discussing why she couldn’t become a part of Girls’ Generation, Lee Yeon Hee admitted that she felt she fell short compared to the other members. She believed that this was the real reason she missed the opportunity. In 2020, Lee Yeon Hee officially left SM and joined VAST Entertainment, a management company housing several famous actors, including Hyun Bin. Lee Yeon Hee and Hyun Bin previously appeared together in “A Millionaire’s First Love” in 2006.
