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Korean Pop (K-Pop) Idol Training System

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Introduction

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The Korean Pop idol training system was formulated and industrialized by SM Entertainment's founder, Lee Soo-Man, as part of his formula for the domestic and international marketing of Korean pop idols. This formula, which he termed "cultural technology," has since dominated the South Korean pop industry and is utilized by entertainment agencies to train and produce idol entertainers.[1]

Every year, aspirant idols audition to enter into an entertainment agency and be train under their system. More than 300,000 applicants audition for SM Entertainment's annual international auditions.[2] JYP Entertainment, another leading entertainment company, test 50,000 applicants per year. Once accepted into an agency, trainees are trained for an average of three to five years on their vocal, dance, and foreign language skills.[3] Debut is not guaranteed by the company. In fact, only 1 in 5,000 trainees will end up becoming members of an idol group.[3]

In recent years, the rise of the Hallyu wave have influenced the increased in popularity of training centers and "star academies" as well as auditioning and survival shows.[4]

Entry to Entertainment Agency

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K-pop Training Centers

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In the early stages of the Korean pop industry, qualifications for debut were good looks and appropriate attitudes.[5] However, the increase of talented acts have led to an increase in verification and systematic training.[6] Entertainment agencies now demand new trainees to be "almost ready" with demonstrated skills in either singing, dancing, or rap.[7] In order to cater to this new demand, private training centers have emerged. 1,100 of these training centers or "star academies" have been registered with the Ministry of Education.[4] This increase also reflect the changing aspirations of South Korean youth. In a 2012 survey conducted by the Korea Institute for Vocational Education and Training, the top three popular career choices were teacher, doctor, and entertainer.[8]

At these centers, students learn and improve their vocal, dance, and rap performances through group sessions and personal one-on-one coaching. In addition to these three elements, students also learn foreign languages, stage manners, music theory, teamwork, and inseong gyoyuk (personality training). The purpose of inseong gyoyuk is to teach students the attitudes and behaviors of Korean idols - humility, loyalty, and gratitude.[7] For the parents who pay for students' training fees, this course assures them that their children are developing proper societal values highly regarded by the Korean public. For entertainment agencies, this course helps create subordination and loyalty to a trainee's agency.[7]

Due to the young audience star academies attract, the South Korean government have restrict the numbers of hours star academies are allowed to operate. Def Dance Skool based in Gangnam district only hold classes two to three evenings per week.[8] Regulations also restrict certain behaviors enforced on students. For example, male instructors are prohibited from encouraging female students to lose weight.[6]

Like regular educational academies (hagwon), fees can range from $135 to $200 per month.[8] The total revenue generated from these star training centers amount to $9.7 million annually.[7] In addition to domestic students, some private academies also cater to foreigners who wish to live the K-pop idol trainee experience.[1] These one week programs can cost up to $3000.

Besides being a source of revenue for the South Korean economy, star academies are also a source of business venture for veteran Korean pop idols. Big Bang's Seungri had opened multiple entertainment academies. Current K-pop idols who were once former students of Seungri's academies are Winner's Kim JinWoo, BTS's J-Hope, EXID's HyeLin, Lovelyz's Lee MiJoo, VIXX's Hyuk, and MONSTA X's HyungWon.[9]

Art-based High Schools

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In addition to star academies, art-based schools like Hanlim Multi Art School and School of Performing Arts Seoul, also offer practical entertainment-related curriculum. Trainees and idols often attend these kind of institutions. Traditional private music and dance schools that teach Bach or ballet now also include Korean pop in their curriculum.[8]

SM Entertainment recently opened a star academy in collaboration with Jongro Sky Academy. On top of the standard liberal arts curriculum, students can choose to take courses in applied music and dance.[10]

Entry into Entertainment Company - Auditioning

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The typical route to gain entry into an entertainment company is through an audition. In South Korea and the United States, walk-in auditions are held every weekend.[11] Global auditions are held across Southeast Asia, Europe, and the Americas annually.[7] People are also scouted on the streets. According to Director of New Talent Training at Cube Entertainment, Kim Hyunghyu, companies often go to schools, streets, and just about anywhere in search of new talent.[12]

In walk-in auditions, auditionees are judged as a group. Applicants can also send in a video audition. Those who attract judges are called back to audition two more times; once with a panel of the company's songwriters, composers, dancers, and current idols; another with the head of the company.[11]

Broadcast audition shows like K-pop Star and Superstar K is also another means for agencies to scout new talents. In 2012, 4 percent of South Korea's population auditioned for Superstar K.[2]

Trainee Contracts

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Once accepted into an entertainment company, a trainee's contract can last between ten to fifteen years and training period lasting from six months to a year.[13] Big Bang's G-Dragon trained for about 11 years before finally debuting.[14] Within these years, the trainee's agency will provide monthly allowances and cover training costs.[7] At JYP Entertainment, a prospective trainee first enters as a Level A trainee.[15] Once promoted to Level B, they can move into the dorms, obtain a manager, and receive more rigorous training. Once they obtain Level C status, trainees have become full-fledged singers.

Producing an idol group, from the making of album covers to costs associated with the training period, cost agencies around $1.3 million.[13] In 2011, SM Entertainment representative Kim Young Min reported that each of the nine members of Girls' Generation cost $2.5 million to train. These expenses include living and housing as well employment wages for hired choreographers, trainers, voice coaches, dance teachers, and language tutors.[1] Companies have cited this high-cost investment alongside low CD sales, cheap price of digital downloads, and international piracy as reasonable justifications for idols' "slave contracts".

Training Period

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Types of Training

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Idols are trained to be well rounded. Dance, vocal performance, and rap are the basic skills taught. Foreign languages like Japanese, Chinese, and English, are also taught to help trainees reach a global audience once they debut. In addition to these entertainment-related training, trainees are also taught academic management, reading, and sex education. Personal consultation related to mental health has also been included in the curriculum. Trainees can also participate in community service, drug awareness campaigns and etiquette training.[16]

On top of improving their entertainment acts and personalities, trainees are also subjected to strict regulations by their company.[17] Trainees usually live in boarding houses with other trainees, follow a strict diet with regular weight checks, and are forbidden from dating. They are also subjected to monthly competitive assessments that evaluate their progress.[5] If they do not show improvement, trainees can be forced to leave the company. At JYP Entertainment, trainees participate in monthly privates evaluation tests and annual public showcases.[15]

Duration

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The typical duration of training lasts from as short as 6 months to as long as 7 years if not more. The everyday life of trainees are controlled and regulated by their agency.[3] Daily practice can sometimes last between 10 to 15 hours.[12]

For trainees still in school, in addition to their practice, they must also keep up with their academics.

Typical Schedule (Base on Don Lee's JYP Trainee Experience[18])
Time Activity
10:00 am The day begins.
10:00 am - 12:00 pm Individual practice time where trainees practice their singing and dancing.
12:00 pm Lunch
12:00 pm - 6:00 pm Classes on singing, dancing, rapping, language, instrumental lessons, and acting. A trainee's classes depends on their individual interests and talents. Each class is between 1 and 3 hours long.
6:00 pm Dinner
7:00 pm - 10:00 pm Practice continues. At 10pm, trainees are allow to leave the building but most stay behind to practice.

Debut

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Prior to debut, idol groups sign contracts, often dubbed as "slave contracts." These are terms and conditions idols termed unjust, including but not limited to unequal profit sharing, dating ban, and long contract terms.[12] Due to lawsuits against entertainment agencies by K-pop idols, the Korean Fair Trade Commission have sent notice to ten companies in 2009 to modify contracts deemed unjust. 46 terms and conditions have been abolished since.[19]

After debut, less than 10 percent of idol groups become successful.[19] This is particularly so for idol groups from smaller companies because JYP, SM, and YG Entertainment monopolize the Korean pop music market; groups associated with these companies have more presence in TV music programs and entertainment shows.[3] The revenue of an agency is also important to the number of trainees it can train and groups it can debut.[13] Due to this limitation, idol aspirants often aim to enter more established entertainment agencies.

  1. ^ a b c Leung, Sarah (2012). "Catching the K-pop Wave: Globality in the Production, Distribution, and Consumption of South Korean Popular Music". Vassar College: Senior Capstone Projects.
  2. ^ a b "K-Pop's Global Success Didn't Happen by Accident". Harvard Business Review. 2016-11-10. Retrieved 2018-05-12.
  3. ^ a b c d "The History of Kpop, Chapter 7: How to Make a Kpop Idol | moonROK". moonROK. 2014-08-04. Retrieved 2018-03-02.
  4. ^ a b "Inside the Intense Training Centers Where Young Girls Compete to Be K-Pop Stars". Broadly. 2016-10-05. Retrieved 2018-03-02.
  5. ^ a b Han, Ae Jin (March 2016). "The Aesthetics of Cuteness in Korean Pop Music" (PDF). University of Sussex: 46–54.
  6. ^ a b "Korea Today-Long years of training behind idol stars 화려한 성공을 위해 거쳐야 할 철저한 아이돌". Youtube.
  7. ^ a b c d e f Ho, Swee-Lin (Autumn 2012). "Fuel for South Korea's "Global Dreams Factory": The Desires of Parents Whose Children Dream of Becoming K-pop Stars". Korea Observer. 43. ProQuest 1268147454 – via ProQuest.
  8. ^ a b c d Sang-Hun, Choe (2013-08-09). "Cramming for Stardom at Korea's K-Pop Schools". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 2018-05-12.
  9. ^ "6 K-Pop Idols From BIGBANG SeungRi's Academy • Kpopmap". www.kpopmap.com. Retrieved 2018-05-12.
  10. ^ "SM Entertainment's International K-Pop Academy To Officially Open This Year | Soompi". www.soompi.com. Retrieved 2018-05-12.
  11. ^ a b "The Road to K-pop Stardom: Auditioning". seoulbeats. 2012-01-31. Retrieved 2018-05-12.
  12. ^ a b c Padget, Francesca (Winter 2017). "What are the difficulties of being a Korean pop idol and to what extent do they outweigh the benefits?". Academia.edu.
  13. ^ a b c "How Much Does It Cost To Debut A K-Pop Group? | Soompi". www.soompi.com. Retrieved 2018-05-12.
  14. ^ "6 Idols That Trained For Over 10 Years Before They Could Finally Debut". Koreaboo. 2018-04-28. Retrieved 2018-05-12.
  15. ^ a b Russel, Mark Hames. Pop Goes Korea: Behind the Revolution in Movies, Music, and Internet Culture.
  16. ^ "K-pop's "All-in-One" System: Why it works for Idol stars". allkpop. July 25, 2012.
  17. ^ "(Updated) How K-pop trainees are (mis)treated". Extra! Korea. 2010-03-25. Retrieved 2018-05-12.
  18. ^ "The schedule for an ordinary trainee - Music". OneHallyu. Retrieved 2018-05-12.
  19. ^ a b "So You Wanna Be a Pop Star? Just Sign Here". Factorialist. 2015-08-11. Retrieved 2018-05-12.
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