The conditions of trainees in entertainment agencies, the birthplace of idol stars were revealed.

On March 24th, according to the ‘Entertainment Management Industry Survey’ conducted by Professor Kim Mingyu of Ajou University, huge entertainment companies have about 100 trainees on average and about 70 of them are in their teenage years.

Average training period is 14.57 months. After group selection has been made, preparation for debut takes about 16.30 months. On average, the duration of the contracts signed by the trainees are good for 4.22 years. According to the survey, after debut, the entertainers signed a 7-year contract with their companies, in accordance with the standard condition of contract.

Generally, trainees begin their practice at 6pm – 7pm after their classes and reach home about 10pm – 11pm. Although complaints of unfair treatment are rare, some of the trainees were being asked to go on diet.

Also, 80% of the young entertainers missed their classes due to their schedules and activities as entertainers. The survey also studied cases where some of these young entertainers had to carry out long-hour activities through the night without prior consent.

The current trainee system was adopted since 1997 in companies like SM Entertainment, etc and today, the 7 main entertainment companies are practicing this system. The new Korean Wave (Hallyu) was spearheaded by idol groups who were mostly developed and groomed through the trainee system.

As the trainee system involves huge investment, it is difficult for small companies to implement the structure of the system which is similar to the ones adopted by big companies. Therefore, depending of the size of investment, there are variations in the structure of the trainee system in different companies. The education that the trainees received through this system is funded by the companies and they are mostly entertainment-related. Other lessons include foreign language studies, social skills, etc.

The ‘Entertainment Management Survey’ based on the existing environment of the entertainment industry was carried out to formulate plans that can be implemented to improve and strengthen the system in place.

Credit: spn.edaily.co.kr

Former trainee of SM Entertainment who entered Korea Advanced Institute of Science and Technology (KAIST), Jang Hajin mentioned about YoonA in her autobiography.

While in the 3rd year of middle school, Jang Hajin was preparing to debut as a member of SNSD. In a broadcast aired on May 13th last year, when she was asked “Why did you quit the life as a trainee?”, Hajin answered, “I really wanted to study”.

Recently, Jang Hajin published her autobiography entitled ‘소원을 말해 봐 (Tell Me Your Wish)’ and in the autobiography, she talked about her special relationship with YoonA. She described her first impression about YoonA in her book, “When I met sister (unnie) for the first time, I thought she was really pretty. She seemed to look like a Barbie doll. Although she was darker back then, she looked prettier as she gave me an exotic feel to my eyes”.

Also, in her autobiography, she wrote, “I was wondering if she’s a Buddha because she was really kind and easy-going by nature and she never gossiped or spoken ill about others. Within the 3-year training period, I have never seen my sister in an argument or got angry with others. She was the ‘mood maker’ as she did funny acts like immitating gagmen/comedians as well as cheering her juniors on. She did everything the trainers told her to do and her outstanding talent shone.”, praising YoonA’s kind heartedness and amazing personality.

Netizens who saw Jang Hajin’s testimony of YoonA commented, “YoonA has goddess-like look and Buddha-like characters”, “I can’t wait to read this book”, etc.

Credit: tvdaily.co.kr

Photos of Son Anna with her best friend were recently revealed and that best friend is none other than SNSD’s Yuri.

Son Anna, who has an amazing voice dropped out of the choir competition for KBS 2TV’s “Happy Sunday – Qualification of Men” after she was diagnosed with a vocal cord nodule. Two months of treatment and now, Son Anna has been working hard for her digital single which will be released on September 10th.

Anna who was a junior high student in the year 2000, joined SM Entertainment’s singing contest, of which she won the grand prize. After that, she underwent a 5-year training under SM Entertainment until 2004.

At that time, Anna and other trainees like SNSD’s Yuri and Sooyoung as well as TVXQ’s Hero Jaejoong used to spend their time together and eventually, they became close friends. Among all, Anna is the closest to Yuri and her name was even mentioned in the “THANKS TO” section of SNSD’s album. Yuri is cheering and giving Anna all the supports she needs for her upcoming solo debut.

Anna’s agency, Nine Media Group said, “During her 10 years training, Anna has basically grown up with super rookies and has developed her singing, dancing and visual skills.”

The representative displayed the agency’s confidence in Anna by saying, “Although debuting as a solo singer is not easy, Anna would be able to dominate the music stages with her explosive and charismatic singing.”

Anna’s debut digital single “5 minutes” which will be released on September 10th consists of two songs – “5 minutes” as the title track and the other is a love song entitled “죽지못해 살아”.

Credits: Newsen.com