October 7, 2025
SEOUL – “Eight out of 10 female trainees don’t menstruate,” says a member of an entertainment company’s trainee development team.
Days begin at 5 a.m. and end after 2 a.m., and some trainees spend entire weeks drinking only water to stay thin.
Behind K-pop’s glittering image lie the punishing routines endured by aspiring idols.
Today, with BTS, Blackpink and “KPop Demon Hunters” at the pinnacle of K-pop’s global fame, the genre has become Korea’s most celebrated export.
But alongside these triumphs come recurring criticisms: Idols, trained from a young age under strict supervision, endure extraordinary mental and physical strain. For many who never reach the top, the costs can be devastating.
A new investigative book takes readers inside this system, tracing the lives of trainees, idols, producers and executives to expose the cost of an industry that has captivated the world.
Through interviews with more than 40 voices — including idols, agency, critics, lawyers, lawmakers and fans — it reveals the contradictions insiders have kept quiet.
The book documents the daily lives of young trainees, the exploitative “exclusive contracts” that bind them, and the financial settlements that often leave artists in debt. It also examines the export of the idol-training model overseas, where local adaptations have sparked new debates about labor and human rights.
Written by an investigative journalist, the book expands on stories that could not fit into news coverage, offering the most detailed account yet of what lies in the shadows of K-pop’s dazzling success.