Former Wonder Girls member Sunmi feels guilty for not being with her dad when he died

Sunmi revealed that she pursued a career as a singer because that was her father's dream. Photo: Handout

Former Wonder Girls member Sunmi made a special appearance on the SBS show My Little Old Boy on Oct 10 where she opened up about her family.

Sunmi had mentioned in the past that the reason she pursued a career as a singer was because it was also the dream of her late father. When asked about him, she explained: "My father was very ill ever since we were young. For a long time, my younger brother and I were his caregivers. It so happened that when I moved to Seoul to become a trainee, and that’s when he passed away. I couldn’t be at his side."

Her father passed three months before she made her debut with the girl group.

She expressed feeling guilty for a long time for not being by her father's side at the time of his passing. "I even received a letter from him, and it said, 'Please be born as my daughter in our next life'." The artiste further explained that she felt guilty as she had moved to Seoul in an effort to support her family, but it ultimately caused her to miss a crucial moment in her life.

The 29-year-old also spoke about her stepfather, who she has spent more time with than she did with her biological father. "Something I would like to tell my father is that while we don't share a drop of blood, he raised us three siblings so well. I'm so. so thankful for that."

Sunmi debuted as a member of Wonder Girls in 2007 and left in 2010 to further her education. The artiste returned to the scene after a three-year hiatus and made her solo debut in 2013.