K-pop trainee rules: no dating, no phones, weekly weight checks – Blackpink, Twice and BTS members reveal what Korea’s entertainment agencies really demand of their idols

Nov 18 , 2020

BTS’ RM, Blackpink’s Rosé and Twice’s Momo are among the K-pop stars to open up about the strict rules and restrictions future Korean idols are subjected to on their way to the top. Photo: @rapmonster_r_m; @roses_are_rosie; @twice.__.momo/Instagram

JYP Entertainment has a strict three-year ban on new idols dating, trainees are forbidden from using their phones or meeting members of the opposite sex, and Twice’s Momo was once ordered to lose 7kg in a week – what it really takes to make it in K-pop

Spoiler alert: K-pop stars weren’t born perfect. They didn’t always look all that great, dress that glam or move so effortlessly. Before graduating to idol-dom, would-be Korean stars go through a rigorous training system that can take up a decade or more of their lives with no end in sight, and which trainees will ever get to debut in the public eye remains ever-uncertain.

Exhibit A: Jihyo trained for 10 years before starting her idol career as a member of Twice. And while the routines and restrictions may differ between groups, one thing every agency has in common is a robust list of rules that trainees must abide by – from handing in their phones to prohibitive weight-reduction requirements. Here’s what it really takes to make it as a K-pop idol.

It’s only for three years. After that they are free to bring boyfriends over, and I would buy them dinner

Park Jin-young, founder, JYP Entertainment

Boy trainees and girl trainees must not eat together – ever

K-pop agencies make sure to keep their recruits focused on nothing but their professional practice, and to avoid any chance of the greatest teenage distraction of all getting in the way – romance – male and female trainees are kept strictly segregated.

On the talk show Radio Star in 2017, Blackpink’s Rosé revealed that male and female trainees weren’t even allowed to look at each other or say hi, let alone be in the same space. To make that happen, dinner times would be scheduled differently, and the girls’ managers would keep an eye out to ensure no boys were lingering around, or even block the view of any male passing through. Thankfully after debuting, the rules are relaxed and musical collaborations are encouraged.

No dating

Dating was off limits for members of Twice until three years after the group had debuted publicly. Photo: JYP Entertainment

If shared meals are out, it goes without saying that going steady is definitely not in the cards – even after debuting. JYP Entertainment, the agency behind Twice and Got7, is famous for maintaining a strict no dating rule until three years after an artist has emerged in the public eye.

Founder Park Jin-young tweeted that, “After the debut, I advise them to not meet friends and only stay focused on practising for three years.” In a 2015 interview, he elaborated on the rule, saying, “It’s only for three years. After that they are free to bring boyfriends over, and I would buy them dinner.”

The three-year countdown is widely referenced, with JYP idols often asked how many more months they have left until their third year is over. In 2016, Wonder Girls appeared on the show Radio Star and humorously announced, “Now we are free to date anybody. So if you guys have any interest, call us, text us, whatever, thank you.”