From the small Big Hit agency to stadiums and the United Nations: the story of BTS, the stages of its global breakthrough, the role of ARMY and what it changed for K-pop.
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Korea
Society8 min
The Korean Idol System: Trainees, Agencies, and the Star Factory
How the trainee system works in South Korea. Recruitment from age 10, 2-7 years of intensive training, Big 4 (HYBE, SM, JYP, YG), trainee debt and 2025 reforms.
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The Kotoba Interactive journal. · Kotoba Interactive