Before he became known globally as Han from Stray Kids, Han, whose real name is Han Ji‑sung, spent a good portion of his adolescent years living in Malaysia.
Born in Incheon, South Korea in 2000, Han moved to Malaysia with his family when he was around eight or nine years old. They lived in several areas around Selangor, including Ampang, Cheras, and Subang, places that are very familiar to many central Malaysians as part of our everyday lives rather than common touristy or celebrity spots in the country.
When he was growing up in Ampang, Han attended Fairview International School, a well-known international school in KL. Growing up in an international school meant being surrounded by friends from different countries, and this helped him become fluent in English at a young age.
Han has shared multiple times about how he missed his everyday life here, fondly remembering common Malaysian foods such as roti canai, nasi goreng, bak kut teh, and fruits like mangosteen.
He also shared his experiences hanging out as a youngster in shopping malls such as KLCC and Mid Valley with friends, and the way he describes them sound just like the rest of us, rather than being just a one-stop tourist. These memories show that Malaysia was not just a temporary stop for him, but a place where he lived a normal childhood similar to the rest of us.
However, living in a country like Malaysia is not always sunshine and rainbows - Han had once spoken about a frightening jungle incident that happened during his time in Malaysia, which he later shared on one of Stray Kids' podcast shows. As his dad used to do jungle tours in Malaysia, Han once followed him in one, and it was during this time that he was caught in dangerous flood conditions and briefly found himself physically very close to a crocodile.
He was eventually rescued by locals, and although the experience was frightening, it left a strong impression on him that he still remembers clearly today. It makes for a good story to tell on Korean reality shows though!
In 2015, Han returned to South Korea to take important exams and chase his dream of becoming a singer, realizing that if he doesn't take this opportunity, he'll never be able to. He made a deal with his parents that if he failed to join any entertainment agencies within a year, he would return to Malaysia to continue his studies.
As we all know it today, he was successful in chasing his dreams. Not long after, Han succeeded in passing his audition for JYP Entertainment, which led him to being a part of the Stray Kids Survival Show in 2017, and then debuting with Stray Kids in 2018.
Today, Stray Kids is one of the biggest K-pop acts from the 4th generation, leading K-pop into global transformation while retaining the very essence of Korean history in their music.
Even years later, Han continues to mention Malaysia with warmth and nostalgia. Malaysian fans often call him “Budak Ampang,” a nickname that reflects how strongly they feel connected to him. His childhood in Malaysia remains an important, grounding part of his life story, shaping both his personality and the global artist he later became.
C Chai (crystal.chaijeecheng@gmail.com) is a content creator under the Newswav Creator programme, where you get to express yourself, be a citizen journalist, and at the same time monetize your content & reach millions of users on Newswav. Log in to creator.newswav.com and become a Newswav Creator now!
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