A former idol member is drawing significant attention after exposing the harsh realities of being a K-pop trainee.
On the 17th, Doi, a former member of FANATICS who is now active as a YouTuber, shared his trainee experiences through a video.
Yoon Doi revealed that he spent about 9 to 10 years as a trainee, moving through four to five different companies. He confessed, “I was told by the company that ‘you are products, not people,'” adding that he was deeply hurt by the sentiment that the only thing that mattered was selling well.
He described suffering from extreme competition and pressure. Recalling the monthly evaluations, he said, “It was a place where only my flaws were pointed out while dozens of officials watched. Every day felt like hell.”
Weight management was also extreme. Standing at 170cm, he shocked fans by revealing that the company demanded he lose weight down to 42kg, and he faced pressure to drop below 40kg right before his debut.
Yoon Doi shared, “At the time, I survived by inducing vomiting or chewing food without swallowing, and I even intentionally ate spoiled food to be taken to the hospital.” He revealed that his health was ruined as his weight dropped to 38kg.
He also claimed that there was verbal abuse and even physical punishment during his trainee days. He added, “I couldn’t cry even when it was hard. Even after debuting, I had to hide my emotions for the sake of my image.”
Currently active mainly in Taiwan, the video has led to numerous reports in local Taiwanese media. This has sparked discussions regarding the structural issues of the Korean idol industry and the need for improvements in the trainee system.
Meanwhile, FANATICS was an 8-member multinational group under FENT that debuted on August 6, 2019. Due to setbacks including COVID-19, the group effectively disbanded around October 2022.
