How K-POP Stars Are Made...8.1 Million Russian Fans Highlight Its Global Influence

K-POP has become one of South Korea’s major export products alongside automobiles and electronics. By the Korean Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism, Russia had 8.1 million Hallyu fans in 2024, ranking it sixth in the world. Russia’s TASS news agency focused on the birth process of K-POP stars through a report titled “From Trainees to Idols: How K-POP Stars Are Made.”

**The Agencies’ Systematic Training Systems** The training systems used by agencies to produce K-POP stars are extremely rigorous. According to Hong Tae-hwa, CEO of S2 Entertainment, the agency signs contracts with around 20 new trainees each year, with larger agencies capable of recruiting up to 100 trainees. Trainees range in age from as young as 12 to as old as 17. It typically takes 5 to 6 years to train an artist, though some trainees undergo training for over 10 years. On the other hand, there are cases of debut happening after just one year, showing significant individual differences. Talented teenagers are identified through auditions, music and dance studios, and on streets, with online platforms also used to find skilled performers. Appearance is also an important selection criterion.

**Intense Daily Training** Trainees wake up in the morning, take a shower, and head straight to the training venue. Dance and vocal lessons mainly take place on weekends or after school hours, and those who wish to train more can stay until late at night. The physical strain is considerable. One trainee testified, “To become an idol, one must work much harder than it appears on the surface.” K-POP artists must handle both dancing and singing. According to vocal training experts, energetic dancing exposes breathing patterns naturally, making perfect vocal control essential. Weight management is also crucial as it affects dancing and movements. Physical exercise is a part of daily life, and Choe Yu-ri, head of S2 Entertainment’s rookie development department, explained, “K-POP artist training can be compared to figure skating or other artistic sports.” Mentors evaluate trainees’ progress monthly, or even weekly. Statistics show that only half of trainees remain in the program for more than 6 months.

**Rising as the Center of the Global Market** Just over a decade ago, Japan and Southeast Asian countries were considered the paradises for K-POP, but now it has established itself as a distinct genre within mainstream American popular music. It is not uncommon for entertainers from China and Japan to join K-POP groups, and one group has even included a female member from Russia.

**The Science Behind Release Strategies** K-POP agencies carefully plan album release times based on target markets and chart strategies. When targeting the U.S. and global markets, release times are set according to local noon or midnight. Currently, under U.S. daylight saving time, 1 p.m. on a Friday in South Korea corresponds to midnight on Friday in Eastern Time, which is optimal for Billboard chart strategies (which cover the period from Friday to the following Thursday). In contrast, groups focused on domestic streaming platforms and the K-POP scene generally release albums at 6 p.m. This trend began in 2018, taking advantage of the increased usage of music platforms after work and school hours. In the past, midnight was the most important release time, but this convention changed in 2018 when major domestic platforms like Melon and Genie improved their chart calculation methods.

**Legal Foundations for Industry Development** The interactive content “K-Pop: The Wonderland of Idols,” produced by BizHankook, won a gold award at the 58th Houston International Film Festival. It is unusual for news reporting content to win an award at one of North America’s three major film festivals. This report combined testimonies from former and current idols and trainees, along with videos from K-POP industry workers, in a webtoon format to examine structural issues in the K-POP industry from a “labor” perspective. Such media coverage led to parliamentary discussions, resulting in the passage of the Popular Culture and Arts Industry Development Act, which protects the learning and health rights of youth cultural artists. Hong Tae-hwa emphasized, “One of South Korea’s strengths is its ability to absorb the best elements, add our own touches, and become the best in that field. We built our system based on expertise in continuously absorbing what is good while filtering out what is bad.”