Renowned singer-songwriter Yoon Sang talked about the rumor that he helped his son ANTON of K-pop boy group RIIZE join SM Entertainment, one of the biggest agencies in the K-pop industry.
Yoon Sang and ANTON guested on the January 17 episode of tvN's television show 'You Quiz on the Block'.
When the host, comedian Yu Jae Seok, asked Yoon Sang how it feels to have a son who is a K-pop star, the singer said that it was something he never saw coming.
"ANTON loved music from a young age, but I never expected he would become a K-pop star since it is a whole different story. Plus, he had been swimming for ten years and was getting good results within his age group."
However, ANTON said becoming a swimmer was not his dream and remarked, "I did it to get into a good school. During my swimming years, I also learned to play the piano and cello. Then I became interested in songwriting in middle school."
The RIIZE member said he dreamed of being a singer for a long time but hesitated to tell his parents because they had different expectations for his future.
Yoon Sang said he wanted his son to go to college like most people do and confessed, "When ANTON told me one day he wanted to become a singer, I couldn't help but ask, 'Why are you doing this to me?'."
He resumed, "I was working in Korea to provide for my family in the United States. I did all that because I wanted my kids to have big dreams in a big country. So when ANTON told me he wanted to come to Korea and become a K-pop star, I wasn't thrilled."
"My wife and ANTON argued over the matter for about a year. Eventually, I decided to give him a chance, so I told him to come to Korea. He wouldn't have been able to focus in school anyway since his mind was elsewhere.", said Yoon Sang.
When ANTON was asked if his agency, SM Entertainment, had offered him to be a trainee, he answered, "No, I applied for an audition."
Then, Yu Jae Seok addressed a rumor that ANTON was able to join SM Entertainment because Yoon Sang asked the agency to do so, using his influence in the industry.
When asked about his opinion on this suspicion, Yoon Sang smiled and said, "It's amazing how some people don't know how things actually work in the real world."
Yoon Sang later said proudly, "But I must admit, ANTON has gotten several offers from the entertainment industry since he was a child.", making his son laugh.
Meanwhile, Yoon Sang married actress Shim Hye-jin in 2002 and had two sons.
Their first son, Lee Chan-young, debuted as a member of RIIZE last September under a stage name, ANTON.
(Credit= tvN You Quiz on the Block, 'eanakim' Instagram)