Vernon of SEVENTEEN: Biography, Profile, Background, Education, Net Worth 2025, Career, and Family

Profile:

Stage Name: Vernon (버논)  

Birth Name: Hansol Vernon Chwe (최한솔)  

Birth Date: February 18, 1998  

Birth Place: New York City, New York, USA  

Nationality: Korean-American  

His middle name, which is also his mother's maiden name, is the source of Vernon's stage name. He is well-known for his easygoing yet reflective demeanor, and his distinct and even quirky thought process has earned him the moniker "4D rapper." He is a unique member of SEVENTEEN because of his fluency in English, unique husky voice, and innovative contributions to the group's music.

Background:

On February 18, 1998, at Tisch Hospital in Kips Bay, Manhattan, New York, Vernon was born to American art instructor Melody Chwe, who is of German and French ancestry, and Korean artist Simon Choi. He was reared in Hongdae, Seoul, South Korea, when his family moved there when he was five years old. Vernon was raised in a bilingual environment and became fluent in both English and Korean. Because his mother didn't speak Korean well, they frequently spoke English at home. His outlook and artistic expression have been influenced by his cosmopolitan upbringing, which has enabled him to reach a worldwide audience.
At a young age, Vernon's love of music, especially hip-hop, grew. As a teenager, influenced by musicians such as Drake, T.I., J.Cole, Kendrick Lamar, and David Bowie, he started to refine his rapping abilities. In addition to music, he has a passion for fashion, visual arts, and movies (he loves Harry Potter and Star Wars), all of which are reflections of his creative childhood.

Education:

Vernon's early relocation to South Korea and eventual focus on a music career influenced his scholastic path. Before enrolling at Changcheon Middle School, he went to Ewha University Elementary School. But when Pledis Entertainment scouted him at the age of 14 at a petrol station next to his school, his schooling took a different path. Vernon left Changcheon Middle School in his second year to homeschool with his parents' help in order to manage the hectic life of a K-pop trainee. This made it possible for him to concentrate on his training, which took more than three years prior to his SEVENTEEN debut. His devotion to music and self-directed study in songwriting and production show his commitment to personal development, even though there is no public record of him attending further education.

Career:

Pledis Entertainment's 2012 street casting of Vernon marked the start of his career. Seventeen TV, an online reality show that featured Pledis' trainees from 2013 to 2015, presented him to the public when he joined the agency as a trainee. His training procedure, which included dancing, vocals, and choreography development, was showcased on the Ustream broadcast, which helped him gain an early following. Additionally, Vernon had pre-debut appearances on South Korean television shows, including Song Eun-i's Eye to Eye and MBC's Hello! Stranger (2014–2015), where he played a hilarious role as an elementary school "love expert." Under his given name, Choi Han-sol, he competed in JTBC's Made in U survival audition program in 2012 but was disqualified after receiving negative feedback.

SEVENTEEN Debut and Success:

On May 26, 2015, Vernon made his debut with SEVENTEEN with the extended play (EP) 17 Carat, which was the only debut album listed among Billboard's "10 Best K-Pop Albums of 2015" and the longest-charting K-pop album of the year in the United States. Vernon is a primary rapper and sub-vocalist of SEVENTEEN's Hip-Hop Unit, which also includes S.Coups, Wonwoo, and Mingyu. With more than 90 songwriting credits, he is the second most credited member after Woozi for both his production and songwriting efforts. The success of SEVENTEEN has been attributed to their self-producing philosophy, in which members actively contribute to music, choreography, and production. Vernon's creative participation has been crucial to this approach.
SEVENTEEN's worldwide domination has been cemented by their subsequent releases, which include the EP Boys Be (2015), their first full-length album Love & Letter (2016), and later works like FML (2023), Seventeenth Heaven (2023), and Happy Burstday (2025). Notable accomplishments include sold-out international tours, including a US stadium debut at BMO Stadium in Los Angeles in November 2024, and record-breaking album sales, which earned FML the group's first MAMA Award for Album of the Year. Vernon has also helped with the group's choreography, particularly for the songs "Flower" and "Jam Jam."

Solo and Collaborative Work:

Vernon has worked on both solo and collaborative projects outside of SEVENTEEN. His first solo single since 2015, "Bands Boy," was released in November 2021. Black Eye, a mixtape he wrote and recorded alone and included in SEVENTEEN's The Thirteen Tapes series, was released in December 2022. Songs like "Black Eye" and "2 MINUS 1" by SEVENTEEN demonstrate his punk rock influences, which were influenced by Green Day and Avril Lavigne. Vernon received recognition for his "silvery falsetto" in 2022 when he remixed "Beg for You" with British artist Charli XCX. Other collaborations include work with musicians like Jamie and Bumzu, as well as "Lotto" with Don Mills (2015) and "Sickness" with Eunwoo from PRISTIN's Love Revolution OST (2016).
With appearances on programs like Idol Hits and The Visiting Teacher, Vernon's media involvement also includes hosting. In 2023, he joined Mark Hoppus of Blink-182 on After School Radio and co-hosted Apple Music 1's Summer Vacation With Joshua and Vernon of Seventeen. He was confirmed to make a brief appearance in Anderson Paak's comedy K-Pops! in 2024. Along with Jamie, WOODZ, Nathan, Kino, and Hoho, Vernon is a part of the coed collective M.O.L.A. (Make Our Life Awesome).

Endorsements and Fashion:

In 2023, Vernon became the first international ambassador for the French fashion brand Kenzo, demonstrating his impact in the industry. Alongside bandmates Wonwoo and Mingyu, he has also modeled for advertisements for companies such as Chitato (an Indonesian snack brand) and Some By Mi (a Korean skincare brand). He is a sought-after personality in the industry thanks to his fashion-forward look and 8.4 million Instagram followers.

2025 Net Worth:

Vernon's 2025 net worth estimates is between $2 million and $4 million USD. There are several sources of his wealth:
Music and Tours: SEVENTEEN makes a substantial amount of money via their worldwide tours and huge record sales (FML, for example, sold over 2 million copies).
Songwriting and Production: Vernon receives royalties from his numerous songwriting credits, which are registered with the Korean Music Copyright Association (KOMCA), the organization of which he was elevated to regular member in 2024.
Endorsements: He receives additional revenue from his ambassadorships for Kenzo, Some By Mi, and Chitato.
Solo Projects: He augments his income with releases such as Black Eye and partnerships with foreign musicians.

Family:

Vernon's family is quite close-knit. Notably, his father, Korean artist Simon Choi, created a unique in-ear piece for Vernon. Melody Chwe, his mother, is an American art educator with French and German roots who relocated to South Korea with the family. Vernon has a close relationship with Sofia Chwe, his younger sister, who was born six years after him. Because of their intimate relationship, he famously had a temporary tattoo of her name on his arm. While Vernon lives in Gangnam, where SEVENTEEN's dorm is situated, the family dwells in Hongdae.

Personal Qualities and Interesting Facts:

Hobbies and Interests: Vernon loves fashion, has a sizable collection of hats, is a fan of Harry Potter and Star Wars, and has a pet cat named Dodam. In addition to enjoying activities like archery, he has a fondness for vanilla ice cream, chocolate desserts, and cheeseburgers.
Allergies: He has a peanut and pollen allergy.
Personality: Often referred to as a “Peacekeeper” inside the group, Vernon is introspective yet personable, and his comrades voted him the “shyest” member of SEVENTEEN.
His musical influences include hip-hop (Drake, Kendrick Lamar), experimental pop (Charli XCX), and punk rock (Green Day, Avril Lavigne).
Quirks: Vernon finds it uncomfortable that he has been compared to Leonardo DiCaprio because of his appearance and is very ticklish.