Esquire / RIIZE on X
One of the winning strengths of the K-Pop industry is the active influx of new talent. Scouting agents from entertainment companies are constantly on the lookout for talented individuals with high potential who would suit the K-Pop idol career. Some of the biggest K-Pop groups in the world would never have been formed if not for scouting agents going out of their way to find and sign the idols. However, the way K-Pop idols have been scouted and signed has changed over the years.
Check out how K-Pop idols of different generations were scouted!
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K-Pop Idol Scouting Trends: Then & Now
1. 1st Generation
H.O.T's Tony An - Newspaper Ad
One of the first-ever K-Pop idol groups in South Korea, H.O.T was an SM Entertainment group. Member Tony An revealed in a documentary that he came to know about SM Entertainment and the company's audition for a new group from a newspaper ad!
With K-Pop just starting out, it seems like newspaper ads were the only reliable and unsuspicious method to reach aspiring idols and urge them to audition.
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2. 2nd Generation
TVXQ!'s ChangMin - While Playing Badminton
ChangMin revealed that he was scouted while he was playing badminton with his school friends becau
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