"Dreamed Of Becoming A K-pop Idol, But Faced Scam And Sexual Harassment"...BBC Reports Foreign Trainees' Allegations

"K-pop has gained worldwide fame... responsibility must follow"

A foreign trainee who came to Korea dreaming of becoming a K-pop idol claims she paid a large sum for a training program, but the promised training and auditions were not properly provided.

Scene at KCON LA 2023 held in the United States. The photo is not directly related to the article. Yonhap News

On the 7th (local time), a Japanese teenage girl, Miu (alias), said in a publicly released interview with BBC News in the United Kingdom that she came to Korea in 2024 with the dream of becoming a K-pop idol, but the reality felt like a scam. She said she enrolled in a six-month course at a K-pop training academy, under which she was supposed to receive professional dance and vocal lessons and be given audition opportunities at major entertainment agencies. Miu paid 3 million yen (about 27 million won) for this academy, but said the contract did not match what happened in reality.

Miu said, "They told me there would be auditions every week, but not a single one was ever held," claiming that the level of dance and vocal training also fell short of expectations compared with the cost of the program. She further recounted that three months after the program began, "A senior staff member said he would buy me ice cream and took me alone to a convenience store," adding, "While I was choosing, he put his hand on my waist and said, 'You have a nice body.'"

On one occasion, she was told to come to the office to discuss outfits for a photo shoot. "When I got there, he said we should talk about the outfit and told me to sit on his lap," she said. "Instead, I sat on the armrest of the chair, and since that day, even just hearing a man's voice scares me," she revealed. Miu stressed, "I wanted to become an idol, but I feel like I was scammed."

Another foreign trainee, Elin (alias), who trained at the same company, also claimed to have suffered similar harm. Elin said this staff member called her into a meeting room and, saying he would teach her the Korean word for 'butt,' touched her waist. She also claimed that this staff member entered the dorm rooms at 2 or 3 a.m. on the pretext of fixing the lights, and that on one occasion he came into her room while she was sleeping and just stood there watching her. At the time, the staff member left the room without saying anything, but Elin said, "I was so scared that I haven't been able to sleep properly since then." Elin eventually filed a complaint with the police accusing this staff member of sexual harassment and housebreaking, but the case was closed due to insufficient evidence. Elin's side said they plan to appeal.

Elin and Miu also claimed that closed-circuit (CC) TV cameras capable of recording both video and audio were installed throughout the dormitory.

The company and the staff member in question denied all allegations. They explained that, under internal regulations, access to the female trainees' dormitory is strictly restricted, and that the CCTV was installed for the purpose of protecting the trainees.

K-pop training businesses are generally classified either as academies regulated by the Ministry of Education or as entertainment agencies, but the company these foreign trainees signed with is registered as an agency, meaning government oversight is far more limited.

Elin ultimately quit the program midway and left Korea. She emphasized, "K-pop has gained worldwide fame, and that comes with responsibility."