Stage Name: Dara
Birthday: November 12, 1984
Position: Vocalist
Group: 2NE1
Management Company: YG Entertainment
Sandara Park was born in Busan, South Korea but moved to the Philippines when she was eleven years old due to her father’s business. Only being able to speak in Korean, she often times remained quiet. It was not until high school that she became comfortable in articulating herself in mostly English, one of the languages used in the Philippines. Still, she was shy and reserved.
In 2004, she entered Star Circle Quest, a talent show searching for the next big star in the Philippines. She finished second place and went on to becoming one of the most recognized faces in Philippine TV. Through her work, she gradually became comfortable in speaking Filipino as well and because of this, became a household name.
In December of the same year, the C.E.O. of YG Entertainment offered to train her in acting after watching a documentary about her life in the Philippines. Yang Hyun Suk was intended on including Sandara in his roster of actors. In 2007 she returned to Korea permanently due to her dwindling fame on the Philippines to become an official trainee and to continue life after the separation of her parents.
Sandara’s passion is music and requested that she be moved to take voice lessons and dance classes instead of continuing her acting workshops. She was denied saying that she will be more successful as an actress instead of a singer. But she practiced hard by herself and one day impressed Yang Hyun Suk with the amount of improvement she gained n such a short amount of time.
She was added to the roster of 2NE1, YG Entertainments first girl group since Swi.T in 2002.e Philippines. After which, her fame skyrocketed, not only in Korea, but also in the Philippines
FEIRCE FACTS: Even though she is praised constantly for her skin, Dara is insecure about her body not being curvy enough.
The money she won as prize for Star Circle Quest, as well as the money she saved while working as an actress in the Philippines were all allegedly taken by her abusive and unfaithful father who resulted to her parents’ separation. Her father was later arrested for failing to pay a debt amounting to P390, 000
NICKNAMES: Dara Dara Bright Dara, Sandy, Ssantoki (Mountain Rabbit)
ANIMAL COUNTERPART: Rabbit
