Former fromis_9 member No Ji-sun reveals she cycled through cash-advance loans to cover living costs during idol career

No Ji-sun, 28, a former member of girl group fromis_9, has revealed that she was unable to secure a bank loan during her idol career due to having no recorded income, and instead relied on credit card cash advances to cover her living expenses — a cycle that left her buried in debt.

On Sunday, No appeared on the YouTube channel "Min Sae-rom's Open Studio," where she spoke candidly about the financial hardships she faced during her idol years.

"I was doing idol work until I was 28, and I couldn't rely on my mother, father or oppa for help," she said. "I needed to survive right then, so I looked into getting a loan."

She added that she was turned away because she was classified as unemployed with no verifiable income.

"At the time, the high interest rate didn't really register with me," No said. "They were offering me 3 million won ($2,240) right then and there, and I thought, 'That's enough to live on for three or four months,' so I took it."

She went on to say the debt snowballed quickly. "It really piled up like a snowball. I borrowed once on a cash advance, and then my credit limit had gone up again — so I borrowed again to pay back the first 3 million won, and just kept repeating that cycle," she said.

"It wasn't until a year after I left the group that I finally paid it all off. I've cleared everything now," No said, adding that the total had not reached the 100 million won range.

No had previously addressed idol finances in a September 2020 live broadcast, when a fan asked whether idols could receive the earned income tax credit. She replied that she had received it once as a special-employment worker, and that idols could obtain a certificate of employment.

She recalled that she had simply wanted to let eligible people know they could apply, but after news articles were published she encountered criticism asking why she had brought it up. "I learned from that experience that you're only supposed to talk about nice, pretty things," she said.

No also opened up about the distress of being judged solely on her appearance. "The way I thought people would engage with me as an idol was very different from how they actually did," she said, noting that the vast majority of comments she received focused on her looks and figure.

"That kind of engagement felt dishonorable and really hurt," she said. "I just hated being seen purely for my appearance."

No debuted with fromis_9 in 2018 after appearing on the Mnet talent show "Idol School" in 2017. The group released tracks including "Love Bomb," "We Go" and "DM." No and seven other members parted ways with Pledis Entertainment when their exclusive contracts expired on Dec. 31, 2024.

Song Ha-young, Park Ji-won, Lee Chae-young, Lee Na-kyung and Baek Ji-heon subsequently continued group activities under a new agency, Ascend, while No, Lee Sae-rom and Lee Seo-yeon did not join the new lineup. No is currently active as a beauty content creator and brand planner.

Settlement disputes involving fromis_9 members have surfaced before. Park Ji-won said on multiple occasions this year — including on the YouTube web variety show "Workman" and on JTBC's "Knowing Bros" — that she had worked for a long time after her debut without any income and had only recently begun receiving settlements.