(Red Velvet) Yeri Biography: Profile, Background, Education, Net Worth 2025, and Career

Profile:

Stage Name: Yeri (예리)

Birth Name: Kim Ye-rim (김예림)

English Name: Katy

Birthday: March 5, 1999

Nationality: South Korean

Yeri is well-known for her vivacious nature, amiable demeanor, and innovative contributions to Red Velvet's music and other fields. She establishes herself as a versatile artist and infuses the group with youthful enthusiasm as the maknae.

Background:

Yeri was born on March 5, 1999, in Seoul, South Korea, into a loving family with three younger sisters: Chae-eun, who is twelve years younger, Ye-eun, who is nine years younger, and Yoo-rim, who is one year younger. Yeri has been able to maintain the privacy of her personal life since her parents, who were born in 1976 and 1977, have stayed out of the spotlight. She was up in Seoul and became interested in music and performing at a young age, which inspired her to work in the entertainment sector. Yeri is well-known for being gregarious and has been called a social butterfly. She has become friends with K-pop celebrities such as Key from SHINee, Suhyun from AKMU, and Nayeon and Chaeyeon from TWICE.
She is lively and artistic, as evidenced by her love of Hello Kitty, ice cream, and the 2004 film Closer, which she has seen several times and even reenacted for Halloween. Yeri is a well-liked personality in the K-pop scene thanks to her ability to interact with fans on social media sites like YouTube and Instagram.

Education:

Yeri went to the esteemed Hanlim Multi Art School, which is well-known for producing K-pop stars and entertainers. According to reports, she was the best student in her class. After juggling her education with her demanding training at SM Entertainment, she graduated in 2018. She developed her performing arts abilities while attending Hanlim, which helped her succeed as an actor, singer, and dancer.

Career:

Early Beginnings and SM Entertainment:

When Yeri made it through SM Entertainment's Weekly Audition in 2011, her career in entertainment officially began. She spent about four years training with the company's pre-debut training squad, SM Rookies. She performed with other SM Rookies trainees at SM Town Live World Tour IV at this period, and she made brief appearances in projects such as the music video for Red Velvet's 2014 breakthrough single, "Happiness."

Red Velvet and Rise to Fame:

On March 11, 2015, Yeri was formally unveiled as Red Velvet's fifth member during the promotion of the band's debut extended play (EP), Ice Cream Cake. The members of Red Velvet, which was founded by SM Entertainment, were Irene, Seulgi, Wendy, and Joy when they made their debut in 2014. With the release of her debut EP, Ice Cream Cake, which peaked at number one on the charts and had a commercially successful title hit, Yeri's presence added a new element to the group. The EP became the best-selling record by a girl group in South Korea for the first half of 2015, and the group won their first music show award on KBS's Music Bank in March of the same year.
As a rapper and vocalist, Yeri has added to Red Velvet's varied catalog, which combines their refined "Velvet" concept (R&B, ballads, hip-hop) with their lively "Red" concept (pop, electronic, funk). Among their notable successes are "Psycho," "Bad Boy," "Red Flavor," and "Feel My Rhythm," many of which have reached the top of the South Korean charts. Yeri has also demonstrated her songwriting abilities by contributing to Ragoon's "Story" (2017) and co-writing songs like the rap for "Red Flavor."

Solo Ventures and Acting:

Yeri has pursued a diverse career outside of Red Velvet. She demonstrated her songwriting skills in 2019 when she released her self-written solo track, "Dear Diary," as part of SM Station. She also appeared in the music video for J-Min and Shim Eun-jee's songs "Way Back Home" (2016) and "Hair in the Air" for Trolls: The Beat Goes On! with NCT's Renjun.
With her first appearance in the one-act drama Drama Stage: Mint Condition on tvN in 2021, Yeri's acting career took off. She played the lead role in the web series Blue Birthday that same year. She received recognition for her portrayal of affluent school bully Baek Je-na in the Netflix movie Bitch X Rich in 2023. Her starring part in KBS1's instructional drama Applause, which centers on youngsters with impairments, was revealed by SM Entertainment in April 2023. Yeri has talked about how excited she is about acting and how much she values the opportunity to learn as a "rookie" in the industry as well as the collaborative atmosphere.

Hosting and Variety Shows:

Yeri is a natural host of variety shows due to her captivating charm. Alongside SHINee's Minho and VIXX's N, she co-hosted MBC's Show! Music Core (2015). She also co-hosted SM C&C's web-variety show The Viewable SM (2016) with Super Junior's Leeteuk. She started her own reality-variety program, Yeri's Room, in 2020. It ran for 22 episodes on YouTube's Dum Dum Studio channel, giving her the opportunity to engage with fans in open dialogue. She also made appearances on Law of the Jungle in Thailand (2019) and Secret Unnie (2018) with Han Chae-young.

Brand Collaborations and Philanthropy:

Yeri has landed a number of brand endorsements, such as an exclusive model deal with AprilSkin Korea and a lipstick line with Notre Colette in 2020, where she was the brand's first muse. Her dedication to social concerns was demonstrated in February 2020 when she gave 10 million won to the Community Chest of Korea to aid individuals impacted by the COVID-19 outbreak.

Departure from SM Entertainment:

SM Entertainment declared on April 4, 2025, that Yeri and fellow member Wendy had terminated their exclusive contract with the agency. Both, nevertheless, continue to participate actively in Red Velvet group activities. A new chapter in Yeri's career began on May 1, 2025, when she signed a contract with Blitzway Entertainment to pursue an acting career under her given name, Kim Ye-rim.

Net Worth in 2025:

Yeri is thought to have a net worth of approximately $3 million USD as of 2025. Her efforts with Red Velvet, such as record sales, live performances, and endorsements, as well as her acting roles, solo endeavors, and brand partnerships, are the sources of her riches. However, Yeri's early financial success is noteworthy. Furthermore, a 2025 study calculated that she makes between $1.3 million and $1.7 million a year from social media sites like YouTube, Instagram, and others; nevertheless, this amount might not accurately represent her personal fortune.